Daughters
by Sleep Walking Chicken
Summary: Inuyasha Shinkanshi was always by himself, always depending on himself. Until little Rin came into his life. There are few types of love in the world that can rival the love between a father and his daughter, and Inuyasha is about to learn that.[complete]
1. Chapter 1: The Child

**Daughters  
****Chapter One: The Child **

* * *

A bird chirped outside the window and it seemed to be the most fascinating thing in the world to the young high school senior, his head resting against his open palm. Dark violet eyes watched the bird as it fluttered on the windowsill before flying away. The eighteen-year-old sighed gently and twirled a piece of his long black hair idly between his fingers, not even bothering to pretend to listen to his English teacher. 

Inuyasha Shinkanshi blinked slowly, violet eyes reflecting the bright spring sunshine filtering through the classroom's windows.

His mundane daydreams were interrupted when the bell rang shrilly, signaling the end of the school day.

"Stand," the teacher ordered in English. The students did so. Lazily, Inuyasha stood and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his uniform.

"Bow," the teacher said and the students obeyed.

Inuyasha quickly stood and stuffed his necessary materials for the weekend into his book bag. The boy stalked out of the room, ignoring the voices of happy students delighted to see the weekend, and moved towards the front entrance. He wove around loiterers in the hallway until he found his shoe-locker.

Spinning the dial until his proper combination was plugged in, Inuyasha felt his eyelids flutter. The warmth of the school and the light buzzing of a fly above him was making him rather drowsy. At that moment, all he wanted to do was go home and sleep the rest of the weekend away.

With that appealing idea, Inuyasha quickly stuffed his feet into his street shoes. Adjusting the tie of his school's uniform so that it no longer constricted his neck like an idiotic dog collar, Inuyasha slammed his locker shut.

He turned around abruptly and nearly crashed into a group of giggling girls. They looked up at him in disgust, as if he really had just crashed into them. Inuyasha scowled at them and pushed through them, ignoring their remarks of his rude behavior.

All around him friends were reuniting and discussing weekend plans. Inuyasha, the ever elusive loner of his high school, didn't even bat an eye at the sentimental display of emotions running around him like a school relay.

He left the school and felt the warm sunshine dance across his cheeks. He squinted as he walked across the long expanse of lawn and courtyard towards the front gates of his school. He lived a short ways away from his school so he never bothered to hang around the social hierarchy that was his high school.

He moved slowly, lazily moving back towards his empty house. When he was eight years old, he'd lost both of his parents to a car accident. It had been very sudden; as had the mass amounts of money his parents had left behind for him in their will. His grandfather had tried his best to take care of him, but in his old age it was hard to keep an eye on the little boy. He'd moved out when he was sixteen years old and lived in an apartment by himself.

As he turned the corner he saw his apartment complex come into view. Pulling the strap of his backpack farther up his shoulder, Inuyasha trudged home.

Walking up two flights of steps to reach his third story home wasn't too bad most days. But today, it seemed as if every footfall was too much for him. He just wanted to go home and sleep.

As he reached his floor and walked down the hallway towards his home out of the two apartments on the level, he was surprised to see two figures leaning up against the wall near his door. Frowning, he moved ahead cautiously, not wishing to catch anyone off guard and cause an unnecessary scene.

When he approached, he realized that his grandfather was standing there with a tiny little girl, who stared up at him with large brown eyes. She couldn't be any older than four or five. Inuyasha's frown deepened as he stalked up in front of his grandfather, his body slouching as he observed his elder. His frown intensified when he saw two suitcases behind his grandfather in a fruitless attempt to hide them from the high school boy.

"What are you doing here?" was his greeting as he turned towards his apartment, unlocked the door, and trudged in. He heard his grandfather follow after him and shrugged off his backpack, allowing it to flop down onto the ground with a dull thud.

Slipping off his shoes he heard his grandfather speak. He inclined his head to hear the throaty, weak voice speak to the girl.

"Rin, go and watch TV in the other room, okay?" Rin didn't respond, just quietly slipped off her shoes and retreated from the room, towards where his grandfather indicated.

Inuyasha kept looking at his grandfather. The said man sighed.

"Let us go to the living room, yes?" he asked the boy, who nodded mutely, trailing after his father's father silently.

Once inside, the man lowered himself slowly onto the couch, releasing the tiniest sighs of relief as he rested his head on the back of the couch. Inuyasha flopped down into an armchair.

"Why are you here?" he asked harshly, his lavender eyes narrowing suspiciously. "And who was she? What was with the suitcases? If you want money, I don't have any for you to spare. What do you want?"

"So many questions," the man said wearily, ringing his tired, wrinkled hands. He sighed slowly, taking in deep breaths. "That girl is named Rin. Rin Shinkanshi. She's your cousin."

Inuyasha scowled. "Then what are you guys doing here?"

"I suppose it's best if I start from the beginning," his old grandfather said after a long pause as he collected his thoughts. He glanced at his irate grandson and gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I am a burden."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and didn't answer.

"A few months ago, your aunt, Mari, died of cancer. You remember the funeral, right?" Inuyasha didn't. He never went to the funeral. He'd had better things to do than mourn for some aunt he'd never really met. "Well… Rin is her daughter."

"And what's she doing here?" Inuyasha asked slowly, feeling that he wasn't going to like where this story was heading.

His grandfather shifted in his seat, readjusting himself to be better comfortable. Inuyasha waited impatiently, feeling his face contort into an angry glare.

"We've been searching for months for a suitable family member to take Rin in. I've had her for the past few weeks. But I'm too old and weary to look after her. Rin has needs, and I'm unable to properly look after her. Besides," his grandfather said sadly, looking like he truly was ancient. "I have no money to support the girl."

It clicked. He had money. He had lots of money.

"No," he said firmly.

His grandfather looked alarmed. "No, what?"

"No, I'm not going to take in some stupid, orphaned brat," Inuyasha snarled angrily. "I have my own shit to deal with and the last thing I need is for some stupid little girl to mess up my house, eat all my food, need all my damned attention, and just be a plain, annoying little twerp."

Inuyasha turned his face away, signaling that he no longer wanted to discuss the topic at hand. He watched a bird fly outside his window and land on the railing of his balcony. His violet eyes watched lazily, wishing that he were a bird and that he could fly away, too.

They sat in a petrified silence, his grandfather gaping at him, trying to find someway to sway his wealthy grandson. The boy didn't relent to his grandfather's earnest looks. In fact, the young man didn't even turn around to look at his elder.

His grandfather licked his lips. "Then you have just condemned a little girl to death."

Inuyasha stilled. It felt as if the breath in his lungs had rushed out in one gigantic swoosh. So, his grandfather was going to play the guilt card, was he? He tried to ignore the pang in his chest, telling him that even _he_ couldn't force a little girl to starve to death and live out on the streets.

"What do you mean?" he muttered out, not daring to abandon his angered tone of voice. He would not relent to his grandfather's tricks.

"You're the only one in the family with enough money to take care of Rin. Your parents left you all their money and the rest of us have nothing. You're Rin's only hope for a good life, Inuyasha."

"No," Inuyasha said, though his voice sounded far more half-hearted than he'd meant it to be.

"Inuyasha…"

"Why can't the brat go live with a foster parent, then?" Inuyasha snarled. "They'd be able to take care of her better than I can."

His grandfather quickly shook his head. His wrinkled face, looking far more exhausted than usual, saddened. The old man frowned angrily at his grandson.

"It was Mari's dying wish. She didn't want to see her daughter taken away. _Don't let them take her_ she said to me before she died. _Don't let them take my precious Rin._ She doesn't want her daughter to be taken away. She wants her daughter to be taken care of by the family that loves her."

Inuyasha glared daggers at the old man. But his grandfather did not relent. He continued to stare at his grandson, wishing to convey the amount of cruelty he was showing by not taking Rin into his care.

Inuyasha felt a headache coming on. All he wanted to do this weekend was sleep. He didn't want to be ambushed by his grandfather and some little bratty cousin. He didn't want to suffer the wrath of an angry grandfather. (Which really couldn't be that frightening, if he had the upper hand he could throw his grandpa down and break his hip.)

"I still say no," Inuyasha protested for the sake of protesting.

"I cannot believe that you would go against your father's sister's dying wish," he said, sounding like he was deeply scandalized by his grandson's disrespect for the dead. "Rin was the only thing Mari had in the world. The least you can do is take care of Rin."

"Like hell I'm going to be stuck with some brat for… what…? About fourteen years? Like hell I'm going to look after her for even fourteen _minutes_," he said angrily, standing. "You're asking a high school boy to fucking adopt some little brat he's never met and throw away his future. Do you know what having a kid will do to my future? She'll suck my money dry. How can I take care of her, huh?"

"Inuyasha… I know that it seems irrational. But, for when you go to college, you can always hire a babysitter," his grandfather was quick to say. He was desperate to make his grandson understand.

"I can't take care of her," he said harshly.

His grandfather gave him a deep, penetrating stare. Inuyasha felt uneasy under that intense gaze. He didn't say anything for what felt like an eternity. The old man just gave him a long look, as if he were silently speaking to him with his eyes. Inuyasha fidgeted nervously.

"She'll die," his grandfather finally said.

Inuyasha scowled.

"Fine," he snapped out angrily. "I'll watch the little brat. Can't have her starving or anything like that."

Inuyasha stood and stalked away, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He moved around his small apartment, searching for where Rin had disappeared. He didn't have to look far. Aside from his living room, he only had four other rooms. His kitchen, bathroom, his bedroom, and an extra room he supposed would have to become Rin's now.

He found her in his room, watching the television sadly. She looked tired. She looked up at him when he walked inside, her large brown eyes staring up at him.

"You'll be staying here from now on," he said grumpily, frowning deeply at the knowledge that he now had a stupid little cousin he had to look after. "Got it?"

She nodded slowly.

He felt his grandfather at his back and he turned to him questionably, scowling at the old man that had forced him into this predicament.

"Rin hasn't spoken since her mother's… passing away," his grandfather said slowly and looked weary. Inuyasha understood why. He'd lost his son and his daughter within ten years of one another. It would make any loving father feel the pain and guilt. All he had left were his grandchildren. And one of them, Inuyasha realized morbidly, was a jerk.

But he had a reason to be a jerk. It wasn't like he was kicking his heels and dancing at the idea of adopting his cousin.

Inuyasha snorted. "She probably just wants attention."

He turned back to Rin. She was still staring at him. He didn't like the intense stare the little four-year-old was giving him. He frowned deeply at her small face peering up at him like she was staring into his soul.

"What are you looking at?" he snapped out. Rin quickly ducked her head and returned her attention to the television. "That's what I thought."

He stormed out of the room and to his kitchen. He'd have to start making dinner. His grandfather followed. He'd have to spend more on food now in order to feed two people. This was bloody terrific.

"Be nice to her. She's just lost her mother." He looked angry. "Don't you remember when you lost your parents? She's younger than you were."

Inuyasha slammed a cutting board down on the counter and glared darkly at his grandfather.

"I don't need lectures from you," he snarled out angrily, his lavender eyes pulsing in his anger. "And I don't need reminders of my dead parents, thank you very much."

The memory of his parents' faces was slowly drifting away from him. He couldn't remember the sounds of their voices and he couldn't remember the feel of their arms around him as they hugged him. It had been ten years since he'd last seen his parents alive. He did not wish to think about it. Especially with his grandfather hovering right next to him.

He started chopping vegetables sloppily. He was never the best cooker. But he'd been living on his own for the past three years, and he was better now than he'd ever been before.

He glanced up at his grandpa. "You're still here? Go away."

The man frowned and retreated from the apartment. He stood in the foyer and peered at Rin, who stood at the corner of the hallway, looking at him with deep, soulful eyes.

"You'll be staying with Inuyasha from now on, Rin," the old man said and knelt before his youngest grandchild. "You be good for him. He'll take care of you."

She continued to stare at him, her face lacking any true emotion. The old man smiled nervously, hoping for a returning smile. He received nothing but a blank stare.

"Be safe, Rin-chan," he said finally, standing up. He limped from the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Rin continued to stare at the closed door, her brown eyes sad at the idea of her grandpa going away. He was the only one who'd been nice to her since the death of her mother. She missed the old man already.

Inuyasha quickly made dinner, his face contorted into a look of pure and utter distaste. How had he gotten into this situation in the first place? Why did his stupid aunt die and leave him with her stupid little brat? He had his own problems without having to take care of his little cousin.

"Here," he said coldly to Rin as he dropped a small bowl of food in front of her. Rin stared at it for a long moment before sniffling. "Don't cry," he ordered and looked away. "I hate tears."

She stared up at him sadly before she started eating.

* * *

The next morning, Inuyasha awoke slowly. He stared upwards at his ceiling for a long moment before looking at his alarm clock. 

"Only seven," he groaned and pushed his head back into the pillow. "Go back to sleep."

He sighed and closed his eyes tightly, willing his body to send him back off into dreamland. But his body refused to listen and the sandman stubbornly stayed in his hiding place. Cursing his bad luck, Inuyasha sat up slowly in time to see a tiny little girl dart past his opened door.

He stared blankly at where Rin's tiny body had flashed by.

"Oh yeah…" he said sadly, remembering the events of the night before. He was stuck with a little twerp for the rest of his life, it seemed.

Slumping out of bed, Inuyasha pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxers and left his messy room. He watched Rin's little form pad across the living room, somewhat amused by the little girl. He quickly shook that thought away. He did not find anything about this little girl _amusing_.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" Inuyasha barked out angrily. The girl froze and turned to look at him, her brown eyes wide with shock at seeing him awake. "Well? Answer me."

Then he remembered that she didn't speak either. She stared at him blankly, never once blinking her abnormally large brown eyes. Inuyasha's scowl deepened.

"Whatever," he growled out as he stalked past Rin and shut the door to his bathroom behind him. He brushed his teeth, staring at his reflection with half-lidded eyes. The violet orbs stared at him expressionlessly. He brushed until the mint fresh taste of his toothpaste disappeared.

As he exited his bathroom, he realized that Rin was sitting on the ground, staring up at him. He stood awkwardly for a moment. "Er… the bathroom's all yours."

The girl stood and entered the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. He heard the click of the lock and blinked in surprise at the girl's abruptness. Well, she was a brat, after all. No wonder she was acting all high and mighty.

"Should make her eat out a dog dish," Inuyasha muttered to himself before chuckling at the splendid idea he'd concocted.

Unfortunately for Inuyasha, and fortunately for Rin, Inuyasha gave Rin a bowl of cereal for breakfast. The girl sat at the table and stared blankly at the cereal in milk.

"Don't tell me there's something wrong with the food?" Inuyasha grouched out angrily. Rin gently shook her head no and slurped at the milk in her bowl. Inuyasha frowned and ate his own breakfast in peace.

This was ridiculous. His grandfather couldn't possibly think that he'd look after Rin for the rest of her childhood. Sure, he could kick her out at eighteen, or something, but seriously. The minute his grandfather died, the boy decided silently, he would kick her into a foster home. That would solve all his problems. Dead aunt's last wish be damned.

After breakfast, Rin scurried off into her room, doing whatever. Inuyasha wasn't sure what the girl was doing, and he really didn't care either. He spent the majority of the morning doing the dishes he'd been too lazy to do the night before.

Once the kitchen was properly cleaned, Inuyasha moved towards Rin's room. He leaned against the doorframe and pushed the door open, not bothering to knock. The girl looked up at him from her position in the corner of the room. She sat, doing nothing except clutch a stuffed doll to her body. She blinked as he entered the room one step.

"Come on, we have to go to the store to get food. I can't leave you here," Inuyasha muttered. Maybe the girl would get lost on the way to the store. He could only hope.

* * *

"Walk faster," he snarled out over his shoulder as the young girl tried to catch up to him. She stumbled a bit but save for the tiny squeaks of surprise she made when her shoe got caught on a bump in the sidewalk, the girl said nothing.

Inuyasha turned the corner sharply and heard Rin follow behind him. The grocery store was in sight and Inuyasha was grateful that the walk was so short. He pushed the door open and kept walking. The door flew back and nearly hit Rin, but the small girl quickly threw her hands out and pushed against the heavy door. The bell above her tinkled and she lifted her head, awed by the tiny instrument nestled at the peak of the door.

"Get over here," he snapped out when the girl lingered. Other patrons to the grocery store gave him a sharp look, as if daring him to be rude to the girl again. Inuyasha ignored them. They didn't know that this little girl had just possibly ruined his life.

Rin obeyed and waddled behind him, lingering close to him but far enough away so that she wouldn't get kicked by the back of his heel. She stared at the mountains of foods that towered above her and gently grasped his pant leg. Inuyasha paused and turned deadly eyes down towards her.

"What?" he asked harshly and the girl quickly released his pants. Slowly, she pointed upwards. Inuyasha followed where her finger was pointing and found a box of cereal he didn't own.

He grabbed it and inspected the box. It was another sugar-infested excuse for a breakfast cereal. Inuyasha wasn't one to hate sugar, but even he had to draw the line at something so incredibly sweet that it would make him sick in the morning.

"I don't think so," Inuyasha said stubbornly as he put the box of cereal back on the shelf. Rin gave him a sad look before ducking her head and staring at her feet.

They gathered the rest of their groceries and went to the checkout line. Inuyasha tapped his fingers impatiently against the handle of his basket as the teller went too slowly for his tastes. He glared at the checker angrily who must have noticed his gaze because she gave him a rather cheery smile that suggested that she only smiled at Inuyasha for the sake of her job. She looked familiar.

"Could you go any slower?" he barked to the elder woman in front of him. The older woman turned around and gave him a confused gaze before turning back to the checker.

"Don't mind him, ma'am," the girl said gently, her blue eyes narrowing as she glanced at the irate man behind the old woman. "Some people are just in a hurry."

The woman paid and left the store, moving as quickly as possibly as if she feared the wrath of the irritated teenager behind her. As she left the store, Inuyasha threw his food on the counter before the teenaged checker.

"Well, hurry it up," he barked angrily at her.

"Good morning to you, too, _sir_," the girl said pleasantly, though Inuyasha detected the underlying bitterness in her voice. Her blue eyes were focused on her work and not him but she could still feel the death glare the man was issuing her. "Is plastic okay?"

"Whatever," Inuyasha muttered than glanced around for Rin. He saw her quite a ways away, staring at the gumball machine longingly. "Rin," he barked. "Get back here."

The little girl, looking quite alarmed at the fact she was caught, quickly retreated back to Inuyasha's side. The checker frowned deeply at the man's impoliteness with such a young girl.

"You got a problem?" he asked the teenager testily.

She looked up at him and gave him a disapproving look before breaking out into a smile. "Your total today is eighteen fifty two. How would you like to pay?"

Inuyasha tossed a bill at her and she returned the change to him, a smile still on her lips.

"Have a nice day, _sir_." Inuyasha didn't like her tone.

He sent her one last glare before pushing Rin out of the store, grasping his bags of groceries as he went. He walked hurryingly down the street, hoping to separate himself as much as possible from the stupid girl in the store. He didn't want to stay anywhere near her.

'_I hope she gets fired,'_ he thought darkly as he quickened his pace.

He heard a small cry behind him and stopped. Turning around, he saw Rin on the ground, clutching her knee that was steadily dripping blood. She'd been trying to stay near Inuyasha, but his increased pace had made her break into a run, only to trip over her untied shoelaces. She whimpered slightly because of the sting in her knee.

Inuyasha cursed quietly and knelt before her. He examined the knee.

"It will be fine, get up. We've got to go." Rin whimpered again and struggled to stand. "I'll get you a band aid when we get home."

Rin nodded mutely and followed after him, slower this time. Inuyasha, to his credit, went slower so that she wouldn't fall again. The last thing he needed was Rin breaking into tears in a public place. They were already giving him curious looks for walking around with a little girl.

Inuyasha almost wished he'd bought her stupid cereal just to give her something to be happy for. Maybe she wouldn't bother him as much if he just got her the stupid cereal. Why was he lingering on the cereal? The cereal didn't matter.

He frowned. It was going to be a long day.


	2. Chapter 2: Sweet Silence

**Daughters  
Chapter Two: Sweet Silence**

* * *

"Are you sure you don't know where it is?" Inuyasha asked angrily as he observed the map his grandfather had made for him to find Rin's kindergarten class. Rin silently shook her head and Inuyasha released an irate sigh. "Fine."

He stared at the makeshift map scripted by his grandfather's shaky hand. He frowned acutely and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Come on," he commanded and stalked off towards the direction the map indicated. He heard the tap of Rin's shoes behind him. Under different circumstances, Inuyasha may have thought that Rin looked cute in her school uniform, but he was being forced to care for Rin and therefore, by default, she was an evil little child who he was stuck with for practically the rest of his life.

He glanced at his watch and screwed his face together. "Damn, I'm going to be late for school."

Rin toddled behind him, her small body trying to keep up with Inuyasha's long stride. She released tiny little pants as her feet clacked against the pavement, trying to stay within Inuyasha's sight and not lose him.

He glanced at his watch again and cursed. "Damn, you're going to be late, too."

Rin made a small noise in the back of her throat—sounding suspiciously like a whimper. She enjoyed school and the idea that she wasn't going to make it on time distressed her.

"I guess we can run," Inuyasha muttered and stopped suddenly. Rin ran into the back of his legs and released a tiny squeak of surprise. He stared down at her, thinking hard. "You won't be able to keep up, though."

His frown deepened at the knowledge of what he'd have to do. "I guess I'll carry you, then."

Before Rin could register what was going on, Inuyasha had scooped her up and was dashing down the sidewalk. She bit back a scream of surprise as Inuyasha jumped over small children and pets alike and dodged between taller adults.

He looked around wildly, whipping out the map every so often. Five minutes before her bell was going to ring, Inuyasha skidded to a halt in front of Apple Blossoms Kindergarten.

He practically threw Rin into the building. He pulled off her backpack and shooed her inside. "Come on."

Inside Inuyasha and Rin were greeted with a blast of warmth. Rin removed her jacket and hung it in a cubby. Inuyasha looked around stupidly, taking in the surroundings to Rin's school. Rin plucked her backpack away from his hands and hung it up, too.

"Ah, Rin," an elderly woman greeted the little girl. Rin gave her a tiny smile and glanced down at her feet. "Come on in, the rest of the children are waiting for class to begin."

Rin made to leave.

"Rin, say goodbye," the woman said with a tiny point towards where Inuyasha stood awkwardly. He frowned slightly at the teacher's command.

Rin turned around and gazed at Inuyasha for a long moment, her brown eyes wide. Inuyasha continued frowning and silently willed her to turn around and go to her class. Wordlessly, she raised her hand and gave him a tiny wave.

With his hands stuffed into his pocket, Inuyasha watched as Rin ran from the foyer of the kindergarten and disappeared around a corner.

The woman stepped forward, giving him a small smile. Inuyasha frowned and hoped that she wouldn't talk to him. He was going to be late for his own school. But the woman stood in front of him and smiled charmingly.

"You must be Inuyasha Shinkanshi. It's a pleasure to meet you. Your grandfather called and told me that you'd be taking care of Rin from now on." She fell silent and Inuyasha wasn't sure what it was that she was waiting for. When it became evident that he wasn't going to say anything more, she cleared her throat and smiled again, albeit awkwardly. "It really means a lot to us that you bring Rin to school."

"Hm."

"It's very kind of you… especially in light of Rin's… loss." The woman sighed. "It truly is a shame."

They stood there for a long moment and Inuyasha wondered if the woman wanted him to start crying or some sentimental stuff like that. His frown intensified and his lavender eyes swept over the room silently.

"Rin wasn't very close to her mother… but at the same time, losing a mother at such a young age can be quite troublesome later on." She sighed and crossed her arms, looking towards where Rin had disappeared.

Inuyasha scowled. The woman obviously didn't know she was talking to an orphan.

"In any case, I really do appreciate you taking care of your cousin. It means a lot to everyone, really. Especially since your grandfather's health interfered with his taking care of little Rin. There aren't that many teenagers who would take care of their small cousins. You're a good person."

What was with all this ego stroking? Good person? Him?

Inuyasha suppressed a snort—just barely. The woman gave him a strange look, wondering why it was that he wasn't responding to what she was saying.

"Well, thank you," she said finally when she finally registered that Inuyasha wasn't going to say anything.

He shrugged. "Whatever."

The woman looked slightly offended as Inuyasha turned around and stalked out of the kindergarten. He couldn't stand to stay around much longer and listen to some woman praise him for something he didn't even want to do. He snarled angrily to himself.

He didn't _want_ to take care of Rin. But there was nothing he could do. For the time being, he was some stupid babysitter until he got legal consent over Rin. For the time being, his grandfather was Rin's legal guardian.

Once the papers were signed over to him, he was dumping the little brat in a foster home. There was no way he was going to take care of his aunt's brat just because she was dead.

'_The minute she becomes my legal charge,'_ he vowed with his fist clenching. _'She's as good as gone.'_

With that in mind, he continued on to his school.

He glanced at his watch, cursed, and ran toward his school in a sprint. He was going to be late, and it was all Rin's fault—and that stupid lady who didn't know when to shut up.

* * *

"Mr. Shinkanshi," his Japanese Literature teacher said tensely when Inuyasha burst into the classroom, panting, "Do you mind telling the class why it is that you've come to class fifteen minutes late?"

Inuyasha frowned as he found the entire class's attention on him. Like he was going to say the reason in front of his classmates.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Inuyasha, with his panting chest and unruly state of dress, appeared to have been doing something other than running to his class. His tie was lopsided, his hair was whipped around in odd positions, his shirt was untucked and wrinkled, and one of his shoelaces was untied.

His teacher tapped his fingers against his folded arms. "Mr. Shinkanshi," he said tensely. "I do not appreciate such conduct in my school. See me after class."

Growling faintly, Inuyasha stalked to his chair in the back of the class and flopped down, glaring daggers at his homeroom teacher. He was so busy plotting the man's demise that he missed everything the teacher said during the lesson.

Instead, he occupied himself by looking out the window, watching the clouds roll by and imagining all the different ways he could disembowel his teacher. A rather petty thing to do, yes, but at that moment in time, revenge was far more important than learning about Japanese literature.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Inuyasha watched as his fellow classmates ran from the room to buy some snacks quickly before the next period began and the new teacher entered the classroom. A few students stayed in the back of the class, discussing amongst themselves.

Inuyasha would have liked to run to the juice machine, since he didn't have any breakfast that day, but instead he stalked up to his teacher's desk.

It took a moment for the teacher to acknowledge his presence. His back was to him. Inuyasha glowered at him wordlessly, imagining just running from the classroom and getting some lemon tea, or something. Or eviscerating his homeroom teacher.

He was in a bad mood, and had been ever since Rin woke him up early with her attempts of taking a shower. His bathroom was probably still flooded.

"Mr. Shinkanshi," his teacher said without turning around. He started erasing the lesson on the board and as he erased the day's assignment Inuyasha realized that his planner lacked that particular assignment. Oh well. He wouldn't be doing homework tonight, anyway, not with Rin running around.

"Yes?" Inuyasha asked with as much venom in his voice as he could congregate.

"I found your display this morning rather troublesome."

"Did you?" Inuyasha snarled. It was hardly a display. He'd just come to school late.

"I've been fairly lenient with you this year," his teacher continued. "I excuse your tendency to fade out during my lectures. I've excuse many homework assignments that you've failed to turn in. I like to think that I'm a fair teacher and that I give my students plenty of chances to prove themselves to me."

Inuyasha snorted.

His teacher twisted around and faced his student, his expression similar to Inuyasha's own. They both scowled at one another.

"I won't accept, however," the teacher continued, "you coming to class late repeatedly. This is your third tardy this quarter. Furthermore, your refusal to give a reason for being late. "

His teacher paused and Inuyasha realized that the man _was_ waiting for an explanation to his late arrival.

"Like I said," Inuyasha drawled out slowly, as if talking to someone younger and stupider than himself. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," he countered.

"I had to drop my cousin off at her kindergarten," Inuyasha said with a shrug and eyed his teacher for his reaction.

His teacher seemed unfazed. He took in a deep breath and released it slowly. "You're right," he said finally, "I don't believe you."

"Hm."

"You have detention after school. I'll see you then."

"But—"

His teacher didn't listen, but simply collected his things. With a nod towards the disgruntled boy, he strolled out of the room. The bell rang and his classmates filtered back into their room.

He eyed those who drank from lemon tea cans and apple juice bottles enviously. He was thirsty. And hungry. He eyed a student eating from a bag of cookies furiously, as if he was the one who wronged him and not his teacher.

He stomped back to his desk and sat down just in time for his next teacher to enter the room. She smiled jovially, unaware of the dark glares Inuyasha was sending her. She didn't do anything wrong herself, but for the rest of the day Inuyasha found himself in a rather sour mood and snapped at anyone who dared speak to him. Luckily for the rest of the population, not many people talked to him.

* * *

"Has Inuyasha not come yet, Rin?"

Rin looked up at her teacher, who was wearing a jacket and had her purse tucked under her arm. She was ready to go home.

It was the end of the day and Rin was alone. Her classmates' parents had already ushered away their children. She wouldn't see them until tomorrow. Rin, however, was stuck on the steps to her kindergarten, her knees pulled to her chest, as she awaited Inuyasha's arrival.

He was already ten minutes late. But Rin knew that his house was far away from her kindergarten class. She frowned at the thought. The kindergarten was closer to her home than Inuyasha's was.

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere, yes?" the teacher asked hesitantly, looking around as if expecting to see the long, black-haired student to appear.

Rin shook her head.

"He's not here?"

Rin nodded, refusing to speak even to her teacher. The elder woman frowned and looked out over the streets, searching for the said boy.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon, Rin-Chan," the woman reassured happily, smiling down at the little girl. Rin nodded silently and stared at the pavement like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

Silence passed between the little girl and her teacher.

"Well," she said finally, shifting awkwardly. She couldn't miss her train—it was the last one of the day heading towards her home. But she couldn't leave Rin. "I'll stay here with you, if you'd like."

Rin quickly shook her head no.

The teacher shifted uncomfortably. "If you're sure."

Rin pointed a finger. The elderly woman turned and looked towards where she was pointing. Her eyesight was poor, but in the distance she could have sworn she saw a young man.

"I guess he's coming then," the teacher said happily. "Goodbye, Rin. See you tomorrow."

Rin waved at her teacher and turned her attention towards where the man was approaching. She stood and moved towards where the man was approaching. But, as he got closer she realized that it wasn't Inuyasha who was approaching but someone else. He passed by Rin and her school without even glancing towards the little girl.

The little girl silently retreated back to her place on the steps. She tucked her feet beneath her and leaned against the railings lining the sides of the concrete steps.

Rin was left alone, watching the sun in the sky. The shadows grew long around her and she sighed uneasily. Her bottom lip quivered but she refused to cry. Perhaps Inuyasha forgot about her?

The sun's rays cast a bright red glow over the horizon as it dipped closer. How long had she been sitting out here? She couldn't read the clocks in the school and she didn't have a watch. But it seemed like an eternity. But everything felt like an eternity to a little girl.

Rin whimpered slightly as the dusk extended throughout the sky.

Her eyes swept the streets, longing to see her mother turn the corner and bring her home. If her mother came, she'd be happy. Rin perked up. Maybe her mom was coming for her?

Rin's brown eyes searched all over, waiting for her mom's face to appear. She bit her lip and stood again, her small legs quaking with the idea of seeing her mother again.

Her mother wasn't going to come. Rin knew that. But she wanted her to. She wanted to see her mom.

Maybe she'd come?

But no, Rin knew better.

She looked down the street, searching for a familiar face or perhaps a bus she could take home.

No one came.

Her bottom lip quivered again and Rin felt a pressure behind her eyes. She wanted someone to come and get her. She didn't want to stay at the kindergarten all by herself.

Rin watched as the sun began to sink towards the horizon, the bright red and oranges of the sky dancing on the endless windows of Tokyo. The street lights flickered on, though it wasn't dark enough to need them yet.

The little girl sat back down and pulled her legs to her chest, letting a single tear drip down her cheek. She bashfully wiped it away.

Rin's silent world was interrupted when she heard the pounding of footsteps. She lifted her head in time to see Inuyasha skid to a halt in front of the gates to her school and dash inside.

Rin felt hope rise in her chest as she saw Inuyasha's face. Someone had come for her. Even if it was someone she didn't particularly want to see, she was still thankful he'd come.

Inuyasha panted. "I had detention because I was late."

He took a moment to catch his breath and when he did, he stood up tall and stared down at her like she was something foul stuck to his shoe.

He didn't offer an apology nor did he ask if she was all right. He only offered an excuse to his tardiness. Rin stared at him for a long moment, her brown eyes unreadable.

"Well, come on. We have to go," he snapped out when the girl didn't say anything. He frowned again for the umpteenth time that day. "Hurry it up."

Rin jumped off the steps leading to her kindergarten and toddled behind him, trying to keep up to his pace. Inuyasha glanced at his watch. Rin followed behind him like a ghost, never saying a word to the boy. She was almost invisible to the man in front of her.

They walked in silence the entire way back to her home. By the time they reached Inuyasha's apartment, the sky was dark and the streetlights truly had a purpose. Only two stars dotted the sky, the rest drowned out by the sleepless city of Tokyo.

Inuyasha unlocked the door and stalked inside, throwing his shoes off with a kick of his feet.

"Take off your shoes," Inuyasha ordered once they were both inside. Rin didn't need reminding. Her shoes were already placed neatly beside his own. He glared at them as if they'd caused him some kind of offence.

He removed his uniform jacket and threw it on a chair as he passed it, heading towards the kitchen. Rolling up the sleeves to his wrinkled button-up shirt, Inuyasha loosened his tie and removed it as well.

He was tired from school, detention, and dashing to the kindergarten. Ordinarily, he would have just walked but he knew his grandfather would have killed him if he learned that he'd picked up Rin late. In any case, the girl was home now and that's all that really mattered to him. As long as he didn't get in trouble.

He pulled out the ingredients and supplies necessary to make dinner for two and set out to satisfy his hunger.

After two grueling hours of making food, Inuyasha flopped down into his chair and Rin followed, sitting on a phone book so that she could reach the edge of the table. The food wafted through the entire apartment and Inuyasha sighed happily.

"Dinner, finally!" He started eating right away. He'd worked hard on his food—and now he was very hungry. Even if he wasn't the greatest cook in the world, he was still happy to eat.

He amused himself with his food for what seemed like an eternity. He munched happily and didn't take any notice of the girl beside him.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Rin sitting, staring at the food. But not eating. He paused in his consumption to give her an incredulous look.

He frowned. She must have felt his gaze on her because she turned her attention back to him, blinking slowly as she gazed at him. He lifted his eyebrows.

"Why aren't you eating?" he snapped out. Rin glanced at him then at the food.

She didn't move.

"Come on," he groaned out and rubbed his forehead. "Just eat the damn food. Don't tell me you're too good to eat the food I make."

Rin didn't move and Inuyasha felt like throwing something at the wall.

"Just eat it," he commanded. He slammed his fist down on the tabletop.

He wasn't sure why this was annoying him so much. Growing up, he was notorious for having the shortest temper out of anyone else in the family. It was just something he was used to doing. As a child, when his parents were alive, he was spoiled and got whatever he wanted. And if he didn't get it right away, he threw a tantrum until he got it.

When he was sent away to live with his grandfather, he toned down tremendously. His grandfather had a no-nonsense attitude. And, even though he felt sorry for the orphaned boy, he didn't let him get away with anything. But there was one thing about Inuyasha's behavior that couldn't be erased—and that was his temper.

"Eat," he said again when Rin still made no move to do as she was told.

Rin looked at him stubbornly, her eyebrows furrowing as she gazed at the angered man. They glared at one another for what seemed like hours—but in reality was only a couple minutes—neither blinking nor looking away. Stubbornness must have run in their family.

Silently, Rin jumped down from her perch and trotted away. Inuyasha sat stupidly in his chair, unsure how to make of this. He was debating chasing after her and throttling her—something he knew he'd regret immediately afterwards, or just letting the little brat starve. If she was too good to eat his food then she could just starve.

He was about to get up and go after her. He could just force her to eat. He had to make Rin eat. As much as he hated the girl being around, he knew that he couldn't let the girl _not_ eat dinner. Even he had a heart at times, though he hardly liked the idea of expressing it for the stupid little girl he was forced to take care of.

But Rin returned a short moment later, carrying a pad of paper and a crayon. She pulled herself up onto her chair with some difficulty and showed him the bright red crayon.

"You don't know how to write," he said tensely, watching as Rin leaned over her pad of paper and began drawing vigorously. She stuck her tongue out at him.

Slightly taken aback at the display, Inuyasha blinked a couple of times, watching as Rin worked.

He watched her, slightly awed at her motor skills. Finally, the little girl pulled away, revealing a frowning face that was barfing. Hardly something worth putting up on the fridge.

"Um… you're sick?" he guessed, unsure of how to make of it. He stared at the frowning face as if it would give him the answer all of his questions. Instead, he only saw a frowning face barfing. Not much insight was needed with such a primitive picture.

Rin shook her head and, using the red crayon, drew a pepper.

Inuyasha stared at a long moment before it clicked in his mind.

"You don't like peppers," Inuyasha realized and Rin nodded her head. Inuyasha inspected her food and frowned darkly. "There's barely any in here. Get over it."

Rin didn't seem to like that answer. She glared at him darkly—a look that reminded him of his own withered stares. Well, despite the irony of the situation (Inuyasha now felt a deep, deep sympathy for his grandfather for having to take care of him _and_ this little monster) Inuyasha refused to relent.

"You can pick around it," he said finally. He was king of arguing and he'd be damned if he let a little girl, who couldn't even talk, get the best of him.

Rin refused to touch the food.

He snarled. "Fine, give it here."

He pulled her bowl of food towards him and began picking out the peppers one by one.

"Damn brat," he muttered.

Rin watched him, her brown eyes inspecting the food to make sure that he didn't overlook a pepper. He picked each one out and plopped it down into his own bowl. He had no problem with peppers.

"There, I think that's all of it," he said finally and practically threw the bowl at Rin. "Next time, just get over it and eat the stupid food. I don't care if there's something you don't like. I'm not some damned special order cook. Peppers are good for you."

Rin frowned and silently stared at the young man as he began eating again.

She started eating, too, now that the peppers were gone.

* * *

Inuyasha woke up the next morning when he felt a pressure on his bed. Blinking his eyes open, he stared up at Rin. His first thought was that it was too dark to be getting up.

His next thought was that it was very, very odd that Rin was on his bed in the middle of the night.

He frowned when he realized that Rin was, indeed, sitting on his bed. That, and holding a pair of scissors.

"What?" he asked, dazed out of his comfortable sleep prematurely. He gazed at Rin, not truly comprehending that she really was there _and_ was holding a pair of scissors.

Then, his dazed mind seemed to clear and he snapped to attention.

"What did you do?" he asked tensely. The deer-in-headlights expression on her face proved that she had done something wrong. He pulled the clippers away from her hands. "Where did you get these?"

He inspected the scissors and tossed them aside, watching as they soared in a small arch before landing with a clunk on his floor.

"Well?"

Of course, he didn't expect Rin to answer. He'd grown used to not getting an answer from the mute girl. Though it was annoying, Inuyasha figured that hearing her high-pitched, scratchy voice all the live-long day wouldn't go over well with his sanity.

But he was digressing from the problem at hand. The point was that he didn't know what Rin was doing with scissors on his bed in the dead of the night.

Then, he saw it.

In her hand, grasped tightly between her small fingers, Rin held a large chunk of black hair.

"Oh my fucking God, you _didn't_!" His hand instantly reached up to his head, grasping his now very short hair. His eyes widened and he practically dove forward and choked the girl. "You cut my damn hair! You little brat!"

Instead, he continued grasping his hair, trying to register that his hair was short and that Rin had cut it in the middle of the night. Why? Because he'd told her that she should just eat peppers? What was the world coming to?

Inuyasha had always written Rin off as just an annoying brat. He'd never once thought that perhaps Rin was also a sneaky, conniving little girl bent on revenge. He was in trouble, if that was the case.

His hair was short and unruly. True, his hair was unruly when it was long, but he'd been growing his hair out since he was about ten, getting it trimmed every once in a while. His teachers hated it and so did his grandfather, which fueled his desire to grow his hair long and wear it in a pony-tail. And now…

"God, it's short!" he cried out, effectively pointing out the obvious. He groped his head, wishing that his hair would magically grow back. This was hardly something he ever wanted to wake up to.

Rin stared at him, horrified. Perhaps, in hindsight, Rin may have realized that cutting her caretaker's hair for vengeance wasn't a very astute thing to do.

Suddenly, he snapped his attention towards Rin, who stared at him in dismay. The chunk of his hair that she'd cut off fell limply from her hand and landed in a tiny pile on top of his blanket.

He rose slowly, creeping towards her.

"You cut my hair," he said, his teeth clenched. His hands balled into fists. "You cut my hair, you little brat!"

Rin swallowed and scurried away from him. She scurried to the end of his bed, trying to huddle into a ball and perhaps turn invisible. She cowered as he drew near and sniffled.

Inuyasha wasn't aware what was happening until he saw a tear fall down her cheek. He instantly froze, all his anger whooshing away with that single tear lingering on her quivering chin. He instantly deflated.

"Um…" he said uneasily as Rin began to cry quietly, her body scrunched up into a tiny ball. "Hey… stop that…"

Rin continued to blubber, shaking her head. She didn't like seeing the savage look in Inuyasha's eyes. She was sorry.

"Stop it!" he commanded, but his angered voice only fueled Rin's sobs.

He reached out a hand hesitantly and touched her back. "Look… Stop that. It's okay. I… I needed a haircut anyway… um… just don't do it again?"

Rin lifted her head cautiously and stared at him, her brown eyes puffy and red. He swallowed and bit his lip.

They were silent for a long moment—Rin's tears effectively silencing Inuyasha, and Inuyasha's attempts at comforting Rin silencing her heavy sobs.

"Just don't do it again," Inuyasha said for a second time.

Rin stared at him before wiping her eyes quickly. She blinked a couple of times and looked at him.

She looked down, her cheeks turning pink, before she nodded her head.

"Okay then," Inuyasha said with a nod of his own.

* * *

"Glad to see you're on time today, Mr. Shinkanshi," Inuyasha's homeroom teacher greeted as Inuyasha stepped in the room, carrying a can of lemon tea. He gave him a minute stare. "Did you cut your hair?"

Inuyasha's face scrunched up in displeasure. "No, you've just been hallucinating my long hair."

Before Mr. Kimoto could give him another detention for his mouth, Inuyasha flopped down into his chair and stared out the window. As other students filtered into the room, they glanced at his hair but didn't say anything. They knew of his temper and also knew that getting a hair cut wasn't a big deal in the first place.

His short, crooked hair was pulled back away from his eyes as best he could. He'd debated pulling it into a pony-tail, but decided that he might as well wear it down.

'_It will only take another eight years to grow back,' _he thought with some regret.

* * *

"I won't be late today," he told himself as he slammed his shoebox open and pulled out his street shoes. He loosened his tie, happy that he no longer had to wear it around his neck. He wasn't sure why he cared. "And I'll make her eat her damned dinner even if it kills me."

He closed his locker and spun his combination.

With that in mind, Inuyasha nodded and turned around—then smashed right into a girl walking down the hallway.

They both released tiny noises as they toppled over. Inuyasha managed to catch himself but the girl fell onto her tailbone and released a hiss of pain.

"Ow," she said as she struggled to her feet.

She stared up at him and Inuyasha instantly recognized the blue eyes from the grocer.

"Sorry," the girl said with a tiny smile. He recognized her as the grocer—but now that he thought about it, she was in his class, too. She sat near the front and he never really talked to her. He had no reason to talk to anyone.

"Yeah, you should be," he said with a snort.

Her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"I said 'you should be'," Inuyasha said with another grunt. "Are you deaf and blind?"

Her face scrunched up in annoyance. She obviously didn't like his attitude and found him to be a rude and arrogant prick. Which he was.

"Usually people say sorry when they run into each other," she said.

"And you did," he spoke like he was speaking to someone mentally slow. "It's your fault anyway. You should look where you're going when walking down the hallway. Stupid girl."

Her eyebrows knitted together and her blue eyes narrowed, glowing heatedly. "You're an ass."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"You're just mean to everyone, aren't you?" she hissed out, her hands planting on her hips. Inuyasha paused and glanced at her. "You were rude to that little girl, too."

"That's hardly any of your business," he snapped out.

Her girl's nose twitched. "You're still a jerk."

"Can't you tell how deeply sorry I feel?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically. With that, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and started walking away from her. The grocer glared after him, silently throwing daggers towards his back.

* * *

_Author's notes:_ I know that some of you aren't fond of Inuyasha with short hair… but I really like it. Especially in these alternate reality settings where it's the norm for short hair (you hardly see men nowadays with long hair, now do you?)

Also, for the record, in Japanese schools, students have their street shoes but also a pair of uniform shoes they wear in school. During school hours, shoes are kept in a shoebox (like a locker) which is what Inuyasha was doing in the last segment of this chapter. Also, in Japanese schools, the teachers move from classroom to classroom instead of the students.


	3. Chapter 3: Hard Thing and Right Thing

**Daughters  
Chapter Three: Hard Thing and Right Thing **

* * *

"Are you sure that everything's okay?" Inuyasha's grandfather questioned over the phone. It had been a little over a week since Rin had come to live at his house and his grandfather made it a habit to check in on Inuyasha and Rin whenever he could. 

"Yes," Inuyasha said for the third time since the phone conversation had started ten minutes ago. "Everything's fine."

"She's eating enough?"

"Yes," Inuyasha said tensely.

"You've been eating enough?"

"_Yes._"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…"

His grandfather's next words came a few moments after his brief interrogation.

"You haven't been drinking in front of her, have you?" his grandfather questioned skeptically.

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Inuyasha snapped into the mouth piece, feeling a large amount of annoyance overflow him. "You know that I don't drink alcohol. Tastes like shit and I have a low tolerance."

"I don't want you drinking in front of Rin," his grandfather responded defensively. "Her father… he had a drinking problem."

"I do not drink, old man," Inuyasha said with clenched teeth.

"And you're not doing drugs?"

"No."

"No illegal activity?"

"No…"

"Sex?"

"_No._ What the hell is with the interrogation here, gramps?" Inuyasha said while rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm. He felt a pulsing headache throbbing against his skull.

"And Rin is okay, then?"

He glanced at Rin out of the corner of his eye. She was sitting at the kitchen table, drawing with a wide assortment of crayons of all different colors. Her tiny tongue was sticking out at the corner of her mouth while she worked. A small pile of pictures were slowly growing on her left.

"Yes, she's fine," Inuyasha responded for what felt like the thousandth time that day. "Now stop asking such annoying questions."

He heard his grandfather sigh on the other end. His elder couldn't deny that he worried about the young high school boy taking care of the little girl, but he had faith in his grandson, despite what the prying questions may suggest.

"Thursday, you and I will go out to get the necessary paperwork to make sure that Rin is properly under your care," his grandfather continued, his voice scratchy and distant over the phone.

Inuyasha blew out a stream of air from his mouth. "Yeah, okay."

"I'll see you then, Inuyasha," his grandfather said softly. "Goodbye."

"Yeah, bye," Inuyasha said with a frown before clicking off his phone and hanging it up.

He turned to Rin, who was watching him intently. His eyebrows arched towards his hairline.

"Yeah, what?" he asked. Rin held up a piece of paper that displayed a glass with orange in it. "Orange juice?"

When Rin nodded, Inuyasha released an exasperated sigh before turning on his heel and stalking towards the kitchen. He returned less than a minute later with a tall glass of orange juice. Setting it down next to Rin, he flopped into the chair beside her.

He was about to make himself comfortable when the phone rang again. Inuyasha groaned and lurched off of his chair, stalking towards where the phone remained in its cradle.

Unhooking it, Inuyasha pressed the on button. "Grandpa, this had better not be you."

"Oh," a rather feminine voice sounded from the other end—revealing that it wasn't his grandfather after all. "Um, is this Inuyasha Shinkanshi?"

"Who's asking?" Inuyasha questioned, his eyes narrowing. If it was another charity calling he'd have to throw something.

"This is Mrs. Hino, Rin's teacher?" the woman on the other end paused. "I'm sorry to disturb you so late at home."

Inuyasha glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only seven in the evening, which really wasn't that late. But he figured that she was still embarrassed about calling.

"What do you want?" he asked instead of reassuring the woman that she wasn't too late.

"Oh!" the teacher seemed to continually grow uneasy with the conversation at hand. "It's just that… for the last few days, Rin hasn't had a lunch." Inuyasha frowned. "We've been giving her some food from the snack cubby, but we're growing concerned about Rin's lunch. Our kindergarten doesn't sell lunch and it's up to the parents to make lunch for their children."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Inuyasha snapped out angrily, his eyebrows knitting together.

"I thought you knew," she said sheepishly.

"Well, I obviously didn't because if I _did_ Rin would have had a lunch by now, wouldn't she?" he growled out angrily, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the wall.

He looked over at Rin, who was watching him earnestly. He almost felt guilty that the girl didn't have any lunch. But then he reminded himself that she got food at lunchtime and he'd get her something to eat tomorrow.

'_But still,'_ he thought sadly, remembering the times he lived with his grandfather and the man had forgotten to make him dinner. _'She deserves to eat, even if she is annoying.'_

"She'll have food tomorrow," he told the woman and hung up before the old teacher could say anymore.

He returned to where Rin was sitting and lurched forward into his own chair. His short hair swayed near his chin. "Why didn't you tell me you didn't have a lunch?"

She paused in her coloring and took a sip of her orange juice. She wrinkled her nose and shrugged her shoulders.

"Come on," Inuyasha said as he slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Shouldn't you tell me these things so that I can take care of you?"

Rin wrinkled her nose again, as if silently mocking him. Inuyasha sighed. Taking care of Rin was anything but easy and he was quickly discovering this. The fact that Rin didn't speak proved to be quite a problem, too.

"Whatever," Inuyasha said with a small pout that he quickly disguised as a frown. "Next time something like this happens, tell me so that I can help you, okay?"

She gave him a wild look, her brown eyes unreadable. He could tell from her expression that she didn't believe him. But he couldn't blame her. He had yet to give her a reason to believe that he was actually trying to take care of her.

The rest of their night was spent in silence. Rin continued to color and Inuyasha worked on his homework and scanned the newspaper. If he was going to take care of Rin, he might as well find a job, too, to bring in extra cash. He already had a few interviews lined up. After all, his parents' money wouldn't last forever. Especially with Rin around.

"I need to go grocery shopping soon," he muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. He prayed that when he went that stupid girl wouldn't be there. The last thing he needed was her sardonic way of addressing him and the silent glares she sent him.

Already at school he was noticing how she was periodically staring at him, her eyebrows knitted together and her eyes burning angrily. Those moments were fleeting, however, as Kagome Higurashi was opt to spend time with her friends rather than occupy her time with staring at him.

He snorted to himself. "Such a stupid girl."

Rin glanced up at him, her brown eyes glowing in her confusion.

"Not you," he elaborated.

* * *

"Today is a nice day," his grandfather said idly, sipping on the small cup of tea he'd prepared for himself. Another cup similar to it sat, untouched, next to his grandson. 

The said grandson sat next to the old man, overlooking Tokyo from his grandfather's balcony. He grunted lightly, acknowledging his grandfather's words.

Rin sat inside, coloring on her grandfather's kitchen table, humming happily to herself and nodding her head to the beat of the tune in her head. The red crayon journeyed down the paper as she worked, illustrating the images in her head and delighting in the simple joys of the wax on the paper.

"Has she not spoken yet?"

"No, I don't understand why," Inuyasha said with a snort, propping his feet up on the railing surrounding the balcony. His drooping eyes surveyed the horizon beyond the tall buildings of Tokyo, the sunlight reflecting in his lavender eyes.

"You truly don't, do you?" his father questioned softly, punctuating his sentence with a tiny sip of his green tea.

"What are you saying?" Inuyasha demanded instantly, feeling his defensive nature flaring up in him.

"No need to get defensive, Inuyasha. Must you always be angry?" his grandfather questioned patiently. Inuyasha flopped back into his chair and turned his head disdainfully away from the older man.

Silence blanketed the sunny afternoon as the younger of the two men stared stubbornly towards the water in the distance while the elder sat patiently, gazing at the back of his grandson's skull.

"I don't think Rin has spoken to you," his grandfather said suddenly, shattering the uncomfortable silence dancing in the air, "because she doesn't trust you."

"And why doesn't she trust me?" Inuyasha questioned stubbornly, already knowing the answer to the question.

"Have you ever shown her one moment of kindness, Inuyasha? True kindness? Where you did it for her and not to make it easier for yourself," his grandfather explained, "do you understand what has happened to Rin?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back towards the dormant Rin within. The now blue crayon sprayed across the paper like it was possessed. Rin's eyes were screwed in concentration as she concentrated on the task at hand. It was almost like everything else in the world had dissolved away.

Inuyasha's eyes rested on the little girl. She seemed so innocent, so unaffected by the destructive nature of life around her. He'd grown used to the sympathetic stares he received from those who worried for his parentless life, and the distasteful stares from those who knew of his behavior. He was a realist, and he knew what the life was like. He didn't dance around in cruel fantasies designed to sugarcoat the situation or escape from the reality he'd submerged himself in.

But Rin was still young. Rin didn't understand what had happened. Rin didn't understand that she was an orphan and from this point onwards she would always be regarded as 'poor Rin', the little girl who'd lost her parents before she could truly solidify her memories with her parents.

"Rin lost her parents," his grandfather whispered. "Don't you think she deserves kindness?"

"I won't give her pity," Inuyasha said harshly. His lips crinkled into a distressed frown as he continued to observe Rin, who moved through life with such a care-free spirit.

Where had his disappeared to when his parents died?

He turned his face away quickly, not wishing to gaze upon the child he once was.

He felt a hand touch his shoulder and he quickly jerked away, staring at his grandfather with abject horror.

"Don't touch me," he snapped out angrily. He quickly distanced himself from his grandfather, scraping his patio chair across the balcony and resting against the rail on the opposite side. "Don't touch me," he repeated. "Ever."

His grandfather looked saddened by such a command but nodded weakly. In that moment, with the sun casting a shadow of his face, Inuyasha realized just how old and feeble his grandfather truly was.

* * *

"I didn't have enough time to make you lunch, so here," Inuyasha said as he thrust a box lunch into her hands he'd bought at the grocery store. Rin took it and stared at it, almost surprised to see it there in her arms. Inuyasha scowled at her reaction. 

"Is it so shocking that I'd actually feed you?" he asked, frustrated. She gave him a look that clearly stated that it was indeed a rather large shock to see him buy her something. His frown deepened.

He turned his head away in disgust, feelings his cheeks turn pink. The truth of the matter was that his grandfather's words still repeated themselves in his mind and he hated it. Why was it affecting him so much? Rin was _not_ like him. The only thing they had in common was that they were both orphans. And that was it.

He glanced at the map again—not fully sure as to where Apple Blossoms Kindergarten was.

"Come on," he ordered and Rin trotted behind him, trying to keep up the pace.

They made it to Rin's school in plenty of time. After giving Inuyasha a small wave, Rin disappeared behind the walls of her class and Inuyasha turned away to leave. He saw Rin's teacher and gave her a tiny glare, just so she knew that he hadn't forgotten about the phone call she'd given him.

Inuyasha walked towards his school slowly, not really caring if he turned out to be late or not. Rin would officially be his legal charge tomorrow, after he and his grandfather signed the paperwork. It was an odd thought—knowing that he'd have an adopted daughter. That is, unless he decided to give her to a foster home.

It was funny. A week ago, he would have happily given Rin away. But now, Rin's large brown eyes haunted his thoughts every time he even thought of it. Rin was annoying. Rin was very annoying. But she was alone. She was like he was at her age. Alone and unheard.

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his uniform slacks. What was he going to do? He knew that he couldn't give Rin away. That would crush the girl and he did not want her to be crushed. Even if she was annoying, no little child deserved to be thrown away… like him.

He remembered how he came into the care of his grandfather. When his parents died, many people sprang to the opportunity to take him in. But soon it became evident that all they were interested in was the immense amounts of money his parents left him. In the end, he'd migrated from one family member to the other, never staying in a school long enough to make friends and always living from a suitcase, it seemed. No, he did not wish that for Rin.

He couldn't give Rin away. And, as much as he longed to live on his own again without having to worry about getting a little kindergartener to her school in the mornings and make sure she had enough to eat, he knew that it was the right thing to do. Despite his disgruntled and unsocial nature, Inuyasha knew that he could not abandon a little girl.

Sometimes the right thing and the hard thing are the same.

Inside, Rin went about her day pleasantly. Her classmates had grown used to her silence and never demanded words from her. She played with them the entire morning, working on puzzles and coloring in pictures of animals.

At lunchtime, the children all gathered their lunches and sat down at their respected tables, happily eating the obento their parents had made for them. Rin unwrapped the small boxed lunch Inuyasha had bought her at the grocery store.

"Glad to see you have a lunch today, Rin-Chan," her teacher said happily, smiling at the little girl. Rin nodded and began eating along with her classmates.

"Rin-Chan," a little girl named Emi said as she stared at Rin's lunch. "Don't you have a homemade lunch, too?"

Rin shook her head and continued eating.

"Doesn't your mommy make you food?" Emi questioned. Rin stared at her, horror-struck.

"Oh! Emi-Chan, eat your lunch," the older teacher said with a shake of her hands. Emi did as she was told, unaware of what she'd just said.

The teacher shook her head when she registered that Rin wasn't reacting to what Emi had told her. "Phew," she whispered to herself. "Children, so bothersome."

Rin blinked, barley registering what Emi had said about her mother. She stared down at her bought, generic lunch.

The little girl ate her food without any complaint, but deep down she wished that Inuyasha would make her food like her friends, taking care to put in her favorite foods for her.

But, in the end, she was happy to even have a lunch. At least Inuyasha had bothered to buy her a lunch.

* * *

"See you tomorrow, Rin," her teacher waved happily and Rin returned the gesture shyly, grabbing onto her backpack before trotting after Inuyasha. "Be safe!" 

Inuyasha walked quickly. He wanted to get his homework done before he had to go out with his grandfather to get the stupid legal stuff out of the way. He was eager to get home. He was walking in a brisk stride, causing little Rin to have to run behind him.

He wasn't even aware that Rin was falling behind until he heard a tiny cry out behind him. Rin had tripped.

He turned around and stared at Rin, who sat on the ground, clutching her knee with trembling fingers. He walked over to her and knelt, prying her resisting fingers away from her knee. The entire portion of her leg was scraped and bleeding. It was a shallow cut, but it probably stung and Rin looked like she was on the verge of tears.

He frowned and bit back a sarcastic comment. He knew better than to make the already unstable girl upset. He stood, scooping her up.

"Come on, let's go, there's a band-aid at home," he said and started walking, holding her in his arms. He wanted to get home quicker and she was just slowing him down. That's what he told himself. He wasn't carrying her because he cared at all.

Once he reached his apartment, he managed to open the door with some difficulty and keep Rin balanced in his arms. He entered his home and slammed the door shut. Removing his shoes, he deposited Rin on a chair before darting to his bathroom. When he returned, he was holding a plain colored band-aid.

"Here," he said, a note of gentleness filtering into his voice before he could squash it under his tough guy routine. He held out a red wash-cloth and dabbed it against her knee, taking the excess blood with him. Rin watched him silently, eyeing his work with a critical gaze.

He unwrapped the band-aid and pulled it over her cut, effectively covering the red mark. Rin stared at her knee for a long moment before lifting her gaze and staring at Inuyasha.

"There," Inuyasha said with a tiny pat on her knee before standing up. "All better."

With that, Inuyasha took the rag and disappeared from the room, returning to the foyer where he picked up his backpack to start his homework. Slinging it over his shoulder, he turned on his heel and was surprised to see Rin standing there, staring up at him with large brown eyes.

"What?" he questioned.

Rin blinked once then looked down at her feet. "Thank you."

Inuyasha stood, rooted to that spot, as he heard Rin speak for the first time. There wasn't anything remarkable about her voice, but the fact that he'd become quite accustomed to communicating through drawings caused a rather shocked expression to cross his face.

"So, you can talk after all?" he said lightly before walking over to the kitchen table and unpacking his necessary materials for his homework. He glanced at Rin, who was still looking at him her brown eyes glowing in the light of the room. He felt a sigh escape his lips. "You're welcome."

Silently, she trotted over to where he sat and climbed up onto the chair next to him. She occupied herself with watching him work on his calculus. He worked assiduously and Rin watched him, never breaking her gaze. Her feet kicked out lightly, thumping against his leg occasionally.

"I've always been able to talk," she said suddenly and Inuyasha nearly jumped. He wasn't used to her words and was growing used to the tranquility of his apartment.

"And why haven't you?" he asked her, watching her closely.

Rin blinked and absorbed the question. "I didn't want to."

"I see," he said after a moment and went back to his homework. He had to finish his homework that was due in two days—he had an interview the following afternoon and he didn't want to be pressed for time. He needed a job.

* * *

He slammed his locker shut after he pulled out his uniform shoes. He sighed. Only one day left of the school week. Slipping his shoes on, Inuyasha headed towards his homeroom classroom. Checking his watch, he headed towards the vending machine. 

He fished in his pocket for some stray yen to buy a lemon tea. Locating a few stray coins, he approached the machine. Just as he was about to reach it, however, a girl stepped in front and began depositing her coins into the machine.

"Hey!" he snapped out irritably. "Get the hell away, I was here first."

The girl turned around and Kagome's bright blue eyes stared at him incredulously. She frowned when she saw him before turning back around.

"Be patient, I'll only take a second," Kagome spoke gently, trying to soothe his ruffled feathers.

"How about you just move out of the way?" Inuyasha cracked out crossly, his lavender eyes narrowing. Kagome turned around and gave him a look.

She rolled her eyes and punched the button for the juice she wished to get. Getting a raspberry and blueberry blended drink, she waited for the machine to dispense it. All the while, Inuyasha stood behind her, his arms crossed and glowering.

"Give it a rest," she said when she turned around and saw his stance. She rolled her oceanic orbs again. "Must you start a fight everywhere you go? Why can't you just be decent for one minute of your life?"

Inuyasha's nose wrinkled and he snarled. "Shut up."

"Very mature," she said sardonically before strolling off, leaving him alone with the machine. After getting his precious lemon tea, he stalked off to his homeroom, all the while cursing the air Kagome Higurashi breathed.

He entered his classroom and sat in his seat, watching the sky outside once again. It was his favorite pastime. Although, today the sky was overcast and dark—very uninteresting to watch.

His gaze focused instead on the only other person in the classroom—Kagome. She sat to his right and two seats in front of him. She sipped on her raspberry-blueberry drink happily, her black hair reflecting the lights above them.

"I'm plenty mature," he said suddenly to her back. She paused mid-sip and turned her attention towards him. She arched a brow, her blue eyes staring directly at him. He seemed to grow lost in her blue eyes.

"I beg to differ," she said with a small, off-handed shrug. She turned her attention back to the front of the room, as if trying to close the conversation. Inuyasha would have known of that, however.

"You don't even know me," he countered.

"I don't have to," she said airily, never once turning back around.

Inuyasha stood and stalked to her desk, planting a hand on her desk and staring down at her. She met his gaze unwavering, the blue depths seeming to stare into his soul. He felt discontented standing there over her, leaning close to her as if they were sharing a wonderful secret.

"And why not?" he hissed out quietly.

Her blue eyes swept his face, taking in each dip and curve of his jaw line. She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. She reopened them and gazed out the window behind him.

"I see the way you treat others," she said finally. "And you're rude and inconsiderate."

He couldn't think of a way to refute that remark. Because he knew that it was true and that meant that she was right. But he didn't want her to think that she was in the right. He bit his lip and gave her a small glare. But she still remained unfazed, staring up at him. Slowly, her lips curved into a tiny smile, almost a smirk, really.

"You're immature," she said finally, her blue eyes sparkling. "And you're going to die a lonely old man."

He stared at her for a long moment, not truly registering what she said until it was done and gone. He gaped at her and blinked his lavender eyes in disbelief.

"You're a bitch," he said finally. "You're a stupid bitch who thinks that she knows everything."

She sniffed. "Whatever."

He stood up and crossed his arms. "So I'm an inconsiderate jerk… but you're a know-it-all bitch. Both seem rather annoying." He nodded his head. "But at least I'm not ugly."

She glared at him with a mixture of shock and anger as he moved back to his desk.

"Class is starting soon, Shinkanshi-kun," Kagome said bitterly. Inuyasha could hear every bit of contempt dripping from each syllable of his name.

The first bell rang and students filtered into the room, unaware of the interaction that transpired between the two classmates.

Perhaps it was then that Inuyasha solidified his hatred for Kagome. It was in that moment that he truly understood why he couldn't stand people. At all.

* * *

He dropped his work uniform on his bed as he scanned the newspaper for a baby-sitting agency. He'd been trying to find someone suitable to baby-sit Rin while he was at work. It wouldn't be a full-time job. He would only be working four times a week, at most. It wasn't a lot of time, especially since his pay would be less than minimal. But he still needed someone to watch Rin. He couldn't very well leave the girl to his own devices. If he did, he'd come home to a destroyed home. 

His newspaper scanning came to a success when he located a baby-sitting agency. Dialing the number, Inuyasha cradled the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he scurried about his house, cleaning up the messes Rin had left from the earlier morning.

The said girl was sitting at the kitchen table, drawing pictures like she always did.

"Hello?" a voice crackled over the phone line.

"Uh, yeah, hi," Inuyasha spoke, grasping the phone with his hand and leaning against the wall. "I'm interested in hiring a baby-sitter for my cousin, Rin."

"How old is the child?"

"Uh…" he glanced at Rin. "Five or six, I don't remember."

"Four," Rin's tiny voice piped up from the table, never lifting her gaze.

"Four," Inuyasha corrected.

There was a pause on the other line. Apparently they'd never had a caller say they didn't know the age of the child. Inuyasha cleared his throat, which seemed to spark the voice back into its routine.

"How many days will you be needing a baby-sitter?"

"It varies," Inuyasha spoke. "I'd only need one in the afternoons for a couple hours. No more than four times a week, though."

"Do you have a preference for a baby-sitter?" the voice questioned.

Inuyasha screwed up his face. "No."

The rest of the call progressed without a hitch. He would be contacted when the baby-sitter would come. He'd have the decision whether to hire the worker or not. Inuyasha supplied his contact information and hung up the phone.

Running his hand over his face he sighed gently. "I wonder how much it's going to cost?"

Rin glanced up at him from her drawings. "What's for dinner?"


	4. Chapter 4: Insensitive

**Daughters  
Chapter Four: Insensitive**

* * *

A light rain fell over Tokyo, pattering on the windowsill and drizzling over the rooftops like a relentless drumming. Inuyasha sat with his head resting in the palm of his hand as he sat at the kitchen table.

The weekend had come and Inuyasha was more than happy for the day off. The baby-sitting agency he'd called had called back earlier that day to tell him that the baby-sitter he'd requested would arrive that day for the interview. Inuyasha wasn't sure what to make of this. He wasn't even sure what the babysitter would be like. For his sake he prayed it was someone who didn't mind babysitting a girl that could go from completely silent to a talking machine in the course of one band-aid.

Inuyasha sighed.

"When is the baby-sitter going to come?" Rin asked as she poked her head out from underneath the blanket she'd huddled herself under. She was sitting on the couch, watching as Inuyasha worked on his homework across the room at the kitchen table.

Inuyasha glanced at her, then at his watch. "Not sure. She should be here soon."

As if beckoned by those words, the doorbell rang. Inuyasha and Rin both perked up. Inuyasha made to stand up but Rin beat him to it, skipping down the hallway and grabbing the door handle faster than the teenager could set his pencil down.

Standing behind Rin, Inuyasha watched as the youngster opened the door and stared up at the teenaged girl on the other side of the door. Inuyasha nearly fell over when he saw Kagome Higurashi standing in his doorway, looking uncomfortable. He should have known something like this would happen.

The girl shifted from foot to foot, her blue eyes hazed over as she stood awkwardly outside.

Their eyes instantly looked and they both looked terror-stricken.

"Hi!" Rin bubbled out. After finally breaking down and speaking to Inuyasha, the girl had become much more talkative. Inuyasha could almost forget the times when Rin didn't say a word. Now he had trouble shutting her up.

"Hi," Kagome said with a smile, flashing her white teeth cheekily. "Who are you?"

"I'm Rin!" the little girl said happily. The lady was nice to her. "Rin is Rin!"

"Well, hi, Rin," Kagome said as she squatted down to Rin's eye level. "My name's Kagome. It's nice to meet you."

Rin smiled widely and turned her attention back to Inuyasha, who was still staring rather blatantly at Kagome. The said girl rose from her position on the ground and gave Inuyasha an indecipherable look.

"No," Inuyasha said instantly, jolting into action. "There's no way I'm hiring you."

Kagome's eyes wavered, the blue depths gazing at him stonily. "I'm the only baby-sitter at the agency that's available for hire that doesn't do full-time nanny work." She glanced down at the dirt underneath her nails and balled her fists. She pursed her lips and looked at Inuyasha. "I can leave, but you'll have to contact another agency to find a part-time baby-sitter for your… cousin."

"Come on in!" Rin chirped happily and pulled Kagome inside before Inuyasha could protest, completely ignoring the conversation between the two teenagers. Inuyasha stood helplessly in the foyer as Rin dragged Kagome inside. He growled and snapped the door shut before following after them.

"Rin—" Inuyasha began, ready to kick Kagome out.

"I like her!" Rin declared when she caught sight of Inuyasha entering the kitchen. Kagome sat at the kitchen table, looking rather amused with the situation.

Inuyasha's brows furrowed. "You don't even know her."

Kagome barely managed to suppress a giggle at Inuyasha's incredulous look. Rin took no mind of the obvious logic of the man taking care of her and continued talking with Kagome. Inuyasha frowned and sat down across from Kagome and next to Rin.

Rin smiled hugely at Inuyasha. "I do like her!"

Kagome beamed happily as she patted Rin's head. Kagome didn't have a younger sister of her own and always found small girls attracted to her whenever she babysat them. It was nice to be able to play and talk with them, seeing as how Kagome was denied a sister of her own. Rin was absolutely adorable, and, like all the girls her age before her, had taken a shine to her.

Inuyasha, muttering profanities to himself, tried to urge Kagome to leave his house and convince Rin that there was someone better coming. Hearing none of it, Rin distracted herself by talking volubly to Kagome, seeming to gain an endless air supply from no where.

Kagome didn't even know the little girl, but could tell that she was constantly raising hell for her classmate. Throughout the entire ordeal, Inuyasha couldn't get one word in without a protest from Rin, nor could he get her to shut up for one second, as he was opt to complain about.

Rin swept Kagome around and pointing out everything about Inuyasha's apartment. Grasping Kagome's hand, the said girl was forced to hunch over when darting after Rin.

"This is my room!" she said happily, pointing the plain and untidy room that Rin slept in. Inuyasha hadn't even tried to make Rin feel at home and the way Kagome glanced at him the boy knew that she disapproved.

"Here's the bathroom!" Rin threw the door to the bathroom open, showing the room and all its porcelain glory to Kagome.

"I see," Kagome said, humoring the little girl.

"And here's his room!" Rin said proudly, opening the door to Inuyasha's bedroom.

"Hey!" Inuyasha exclaimed and made to slam the door to his room shut. Both Kagome and Rin blocked his way, however, standing in his doorway.

If Rin's room was untidy than Inuyasha's room had been hit by a tornado. His school uniforms were draped over his furniture, his street clothes were piled on the floor, his underwear sat in a bundled heap on top of his dresser, his bed was unmade, and the chair to his desk was tipped over.

"God damn it," Inuyasha cursed and shoved Kagome out of the way so that he could slam the door shut. "Rin!" he barked. "Don't go into my room without permission!"

"I wasn't in your room!" Rin protested, looking crushed. She'd been standing in the doorway and with a beautifully maneuvered retreat she'd avoided getting hit by the door.

Inuyasha's nose wrinkled. Rin looked like she was about to cry. He couldn't handle it if she cried. He growled harshly and waved his hand. "Just don't go into my room."

Kagome's amused look annoyed him immensely and he shooed the two girls away from his room with a wave of his hand while the other covered his impossibly red face. He should have known that Kagome would be the one to show up. Of_ course_ that's the way it happened. Because the universe hated him.

"This isn't going to work," he said firmly, grasping Kagome's shoulder. The said girl turned around, her eyebrows arching. He quickly removed his hand. "I don't want you watching Rin."

"And why not?" Kagome questioned, crossing her arms.

"Yeah? Why not?" Rin asked, looking like a kicked puppy and crossing her arms in the same fashion Kagome had. Inuyasha disdainfully turned his head away so that he wouldn't have to look into Rin's doleful eyes.

"Because," he said, with less firmness this time and far less conviction. He stared harshly at the wall to his left, as if it was the thing he was lecturing "I don't want her in my house."

"That's up to your parents to decide," Kagome said with a nod of her head.

Inuyasha slowly turned his head and stared at her a long moment, his lips curling back into a snarl. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"My parents are dead," he said flatly, betraying no emotion, adding an emphasis on the word 'dead' just to see Kagome's reaction. He was pleased to see Kagome's look of horror and the tiny gasp she released. Rin stared at him in shock, almost as if she hadn't realized he didn't have parents, either. "So I'm in charge here."

"Oh… I…" Kagome looked flustered.

"If you're going to apologize," Inuyasha interrupted before Kagome could speak articulately. "Don't bother. They died a long time ago."

"Oh…" Kagome deflated, looking uncomfortable. Inuyasha felt a grim satisfaction with her nervous state.

"Anyways," Inuyasha continued, "This isn't going to work. I'm not going to hire you."

Rin stared up at him, looking like a child who'd just witnessed the death of a puppy. Inuyasha turned his face away, refusing to look at Rin's tearful expression. He would not fold under the intense look of some little brat that was barely related to him. Rin continued to pout.

Kagome frowned, looking desperate. "Please," she murmured, glancing to her left. "I need this job. My rates are much lower than anyone else you'll find in the city… I won't be expensive like the others you'd have to hire to watch her."

"What about that grocery job?" Inuyasha asked, remembering their first initial meeting with some distaste. "Don't you work there?"

Kagome frowned. "My father made me quit that job. I put in my two-week notice a couple days ago."

Silence passed between them and Inuyasha sensed a small amount of remorse in her voice as Kagome spoke about her father. She blinked slowly, staring off vacantly towards the back wall of his apartment. She shook her head and cleared her throat.

She turned her attention back towards Inuyasha. "You'll never see me anyways. I'll be watching Rin and you'll be gone."

Inuyasha was about to snap out that he could never allow her ugly face in his apartment when he felt a tug on his pant leg. Glimpsing down, he saw the poignant puppy-dog eyes of Rin. Her bottom lip quivered and she looked as if she'd break down in tears at any moment.

He snarled. "Fine, whatever."

"Yay!" Rin chirped.

Inuyasha frowned and his lavender eyes flickered over to Kagome's light frame. She was smiling gently, obviously finding his behavior amusing when it came to the little girl. Inuyasha almost blushed at that thought, but suppressed the urge as best he could. He'd shown a weakness in front of Kagome. Great.

With a tiny scoff he turned his head away, looking outside the window. "Don't give me that look," he told Kagome, "I didn't do it for you."

"I know," she said softly, her voice like a feather. "Who is it for, then?"

He didn't like the mocking tone in her question. Inuyasha squashed his desire to snap back at her. He breathed in deeply, watching as his chest puffed out, before releasing it slowly.

"For me," he said finally. Realizing that that sounded like he wanted her in his house, he reiterated, "Because the little brat would have given me hell if I didn't hire you. And I don't feel like listening to a bunch of whining any time soon."

"Whatever you say," Kagome spoke, her voice lifting as it filtered past his ears. He felt his nose crumple at her condescending voice. But he didn't peruse it.

* * *

"I'm back," Inuyasha called out as he slammed the door shut with a small kick of his foot. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on. He didn't like his job. No, no he didn't.

"Welcome back!" he heard Rin chirp from the other room where she was undoubtedly plotting his demise with Kagome, the babysitter. Sighing, Inuyasha slipped off his shoes and left the foyer, climbing up the two steps that led to the rest of his apartment.

Sure enough, when he entered his living room, Rin and Kagome were sitting on the ground, crayons and papers littering the room creating a large wastebasket. Inuyasha felt a frown quirk his lips as he gazed around the messy room.

"Well," she said while dusting her skirt of nonexistent dirt. "I should be going then."

"Aww," Rin spoke with a crushed look in her eyes. Inuyasha felt his frown deepen.

"Don't worry, Rin-Chan," Kagome said with a bright smile towards the younger girl. "You'll see me again soon."

She turned towards Inuyasha, who rested his back against the wall, his hands stuffed into his pockets. For some strange reason, Inuyasha's hunched and slouching from provided her some comfort. Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, she lifted her hand and gave a tiny wave.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school, Shinkanshi-kun," she said warmly before turning on her heel and leaving Inuyasha's apartment. She heard Inuyasha's tiny grunt in response as she closed the door behind her.

She walked away from the apartment that housed her new job and felt a smile tugging her lips. Sure, Inuyasha was brash and tedious, but at least she didn't have to see him all the time. Rin, on the other hand, was possibly the sweetest little girl she'd ever met.

The walk to her house wasn't long, but the rain drizzling from the sky delayed her on her trek home. Once she finally entered her home she shook the droplets of water off her jacket and hung it up on the hook.

"Remember to wipe off your shoes before taking them off," a feminine voice called from the room beyond. Kagome paused in her attempts to remove her shoes. She sighed, feeling a small amount of anger bubble in her chest.

"Yes, Abi," she called; biting back her retort as she obediently wiped her shoes off before slipping them off. In her opinion, it didn't matter. But her father's fiancée, on the other hand…

She entered her father's small apartment and saw Abi sitting at the table, her belly plump with child. She turned towards Kagome and offered the girl a tiny, polite smile.

"Ah, Kagome. You're back. How was your study party?" Abi questioned lightly, her long brown hair flipping animatedly around her face whenever her head moved.

Kagome frowned. "I was at my job."

Abi laughed. "Ah, yes. Your babysitting job. I'd forgotten."

"Of course you did," Kagome muttered quietly as she stalked past her almost-stepmother.

"What was that?" Abi called after her, a note of defensiveness in her tone.

"Nothing," Kagome responded lightly, slapping on a large, fake smile. "Where's my dad?"

"Working in his office," Abi returned lightly. "Don't bother him," she said quickly. "He's busy."

"I think he can push aside two minutes to say hi to his daughter, thank you," Kagome said with false cheeriness as she stalked down the short hallway towards her father's study. She knocked softly against the wood, rapping her knuckles against the blanched door.

"Come in," she heard the silky voice of her father through the wall separating them. She opened it quickly and bounded in, throwing her arms around her father's neck.

"Hello, Dad!" Kagome said happily.

"Kagome," her father greeted. "Hello. I'm a bit busy right now. Hold on just a second." Her father typed something quickly on his computer before minimizing the document and turning in his swivel chair. He smiled brightly up at Kagome and stood, hugging her. "Welcome back."

"What's for dinner?" Kagome questioned, pulling away from her father and brushing her black bangs away from her eyes.

"Ah, you should ask Abi," her father said cheerfully and watched the strained look pass over her daughter's face. "Kagome…"

Kagome cut her father off with a quick shake of her head. "No, no. It's fine."

Her father's lips quirked downwards as Kagome quickly retreated from the room. Even though Kagome never mentioned it, her father knew that Kagome harbored a bitter distaste for her future stepmother.

But Kagome didn't like to mention it. And probably never would. She didn't want to make him unhappy.

Mr. Higurashi sighed and tapped his pencil against the desk quietly, his eyes returning to his computer screen.

* * *

"Rin, are you lonely?"

Inuyasha wasn't sure what it was that possessed him to ask such a question. It just passed his lips before he could stop it or wonder why he would ask such a question.

He didn't dare look down at Rin, even when he felt her long brown locks brush against his arm as she tilted her head up to look at him. Inuyasha pursed his lips and trained his lavender eyes forward, never daring to tilt his gaze downwards.

Rin shifted the tiny knapsack on her back and watched her caretaker stalking high above her. She quickly shook her head.

"No," she said, "I'm not."

Inuyasha felt his precarious worries rush away and he released a tiny woebegone sigh. What was he doing asking a little girl such a question? She was too young to truly understand the pain of loss, right? She was only four, for crying out loud.

"Never mind," he said finally, his brief inquiry lost on the wind. The hot Tokyo sun beat down on their back as they both trudged towards Rin's kindergarten. The early morning sunshine brushed over the concrete surfaces of the giant city and Inuyasha felt almost out of place in the colossal concrete giant.

A bird chirped overhead and Inuyasha silently cursed the source of irritation. It seemed that Rin and massive headaches went hand and hand in his life. Inuyasha had learned to accept the grim realization that his world was flipped upside down and each minute thing a constant source of impatience and frustration. He just wanted the stupid bird to shut up.

"Good morning, Rin-Chan, just in the knick of time!" Rin's teacher said happily, waving to the young four-year-old. Rin brightened considerably and skipped the short distance between Inuyasha and the teacher before giving her teacher a bright wave. With that, the little girl darted inside, weaving between her classmates.

"Rin has a lunch?" the woman said at once, her dark eyes locking on Inuyasha.

Inuyasha scoffed and rolled his eyes, feeling a wave of defensiveness swallow him whole. "Of course the girl has a damned lunch."

"Good," the older woman said with a tiny smile. "Just checking."

Inuyasha felt an underlying sense of competition in her voice—as if she were daring him to bring Rin to school without lunch. Inuyasha felt his lips purse and he scoffed again, his nose tilting upwards towards the sky.

"It's not like I intend to starve her," Inuyasha said with a disgusted curl of his lip. "It's not like I know how this damned school works."

"You're in luck," she said, a smile on her lips. "We'll be having parent-teacher conferences soon. Then you'll know all about the school. We'll send a letter home with Rin when the time nears, of course."

Inuyasha snorted and glanced at his watch. His frown deepened as he realized that, even running, he would be late for class.

"Well, bye," he said without glancing at the woman as he turned on his heel and darted down the street, racing towards his own education—albeit grimly.

* * *

"You're late," the teacher said coolly as Inuyasha slid the door open. He panted slightly, trying to catch his breath before his nose wrinkled slightly at the grim warning in his teacher's voice. The class watched from their desks, staring in wonderment at the boy who'd entered the classroom rather loudly. "Detention."

"You've got to be kidding," Inuyasha said snidely and ran his hand over his face. "I'm supposed to pick her up after class."

The classmates close enough to hear Inuyasha glanced at one another in puzzlement—as far as they knew, Inuyasha was a solitary and cranky grump. Never once did he strike the student body as someone who would care if they were late to picking someone up. Who this mysterious girl was, however, continued to elude his classmates, even after he'd sat down.

But the mystery was soon forgotten since Inuyasha was neither a rather popular topic to discuss nor was the obscure girl important to their gossip mill.

Inuyasha slumped in his chair, no longer listening to his teacher speak to the class about the lesson. His eyes drifted out the window. So, he had detention again. Hopefully Rin would be smart enough to stick around at the school and not try and walk home by herself.

He glanced at Kagome and wondered briefly if he should ask her to go pick her up, but quickly dismissed the idea. Firstly, Kagome didn't know where the kindergarten was and secondly, he didn't wish to ask help from the stupid girl he was forced to spend his school day with.

Kagome must have felt his gaze because she turned her head towards him, giving him a skeptical look. With a gentle snort, Inuyasha turned his nose upwards and focused his attentions back to the window on his left, watching the birds fly limply through the air, as if suspended by invisible strings. What he'd do to be those birds…

How'd he get into this situation in the first place? It was all Rin's fault.

He silently cursed the little girl.

* * *

Rin watched as the second hand clicked around the clock face, moving slowly towards the number twelve, passing it, and continuing its monotonously circular journey. Children all around her bustled about, aching to return home and into their parents' arms. The said adults waited outside of the building and happily greeted their skipping children.

Rin watched them and sat down on the steps to the building, watching down the road for some sign of Inuyasha. She knew that he wouldn't have forgotten. She lifted her head towards the sky and blinked slowly. He was just a little late.

"It's such a shame," she heard a voice behind her, but didn't turn around to see who it was speaking.

"What is?" Rin recognized her teacher's voice.

"Rin," the second voice said. Rin perked up quietly, but didn't dare turn around to see if the two teachers were looking at her. She balled her hands into fists in her lap and stared down the street, silently willing her cousin to come and pick her up.

"What's wrong with Rin-Chan?" her teacher's voice came out in a hushed whisper that Rin barely heard over the hustle and bustle of the children and parents around her. She squeezed the fabric of her skirt.

"Nothing's wrong with her, I daresay," the other woman rebutted. "It's just that… such a sweet little girl to lose both her parents… and at such a young age. I'd be shocked if she even remembered what her father looked like. And sooner or later she'll forget her mother's face, too."

Rin blinked slowly, trying to comprehend what the two women were saying. Her mother. Brown eyes stared at the ground dully, trying to force the dawning emotions back into her.

"Yes," her teacher agreed. "She truly doesn't deserve the hardships she faces. And her cousin isn't a help for her mental state, either. Doesn't he realize that Rin is at a fragile and impressionable age right now? If he wants to see a small child wither up and die from the mental anguish, he should continue what he's doing."

"Truly," the second agreed. "He has no compassion for the child's loss."

"_Rin," _a sweet voice whispered in Rin's memories. The world seemed to ripple away as she saw the smiling face of her mother. _"Rin-Chan, until Mommy comes home, be a good girl."_

"Mama," Rin whispered quietly to her shaking legs as she kept her head bowed.

Her mother faded slightly in her mind, grasping her paled hands against her quivering chest. _"Be good for Mama. I'll be back, soon. Mama's just a little sick."_

"Mama," Rin murmured a bit louder, standing up.

"_Just be good for Grandpa. He'll take care of you while I'm away to see the doctors,"_ Mari smiled sweetly at her daughter. _"Don't cry, Rin-Chan. Mama loves you. I'll be home soon." _

A tear dropped to the ground.

"That's strange," Rin's teacher spoke as she glanced outside.

"What is?" her assistant questioned.

"Shinkanshi-san must have come to pick up Rin-Chan already. I could have sworn that she was there a couple moments ago."

"Well, he isn't one to like interaction of any kind," her assistant supplied, watching the parents filter out with their children. "At least he wasn't too late today."

"Yes."

A couple miles away, Inuyasha sat at his desk, counting the minutes until he could leave his classroom and go pick up Rin, all the while praying that she would still be there when he got there.


	5. Chapter 5: Little House

**Daughters  
Chapter Five: Little House**

* * *

"Damn teacher," Inuyasha muttered to himself as he dashed down the street, darting towards Rin's kindergarten. "Keeping me for damned detention. I'll show him."

Continuing his long thread of idle threats and half-concocted plans of vengeance, Inuyasha whirled around a corner and was delighted to see the kindergarten in the distance. Hoping that Rin hadn't tried to go home and that her teachers wouldn't try to lecture him, Inuyasha skidded to a halt and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

He entered the schoolyard and saw the empty yard and the dark windows of the building. Silently cursing his teacher for holding him after class so late, Inuyasha barked out a quick call, searching for Rin.

"Hey, Rin, are you here?"

When no word answered his calls, Inuyasha felt a small amount of unease creep into his mind. Staying as nonchalant as possible, Inuyasha tried the door to the kindergarten. It was locked. The teachers had gone home for the day. He whirled his head around, searching for some sign of Rin and her little uniform. Any sign of the long brown hair, or the bright brown eyes would do him some ease but the schoolyard was abandoned.

"Oh shit," Inuyasha cursed as he soon realized that Rin wasn't at the school and nowhere near the area, for that matter. His string of curses continued as he circled the building, checking the back playground and the bushes encompassing the area.

He wasn't sure why it was that he cared so much for Rin's disappearance. Surely he could just call the police and they'd deal with it. But, at the same time, he knew that he'd be slaughtered by his grandfather for losing Rin and then probably killed again in the afterlife once his deceased aunt got her hands on him.

Sighing he ran his fingers through his short, tapered hair. "Okay, I can do this."

With a nod of what he supposed was reassurance, he set out from the kindergarten searching for some sign of the small child. He swallowed the lump growing in his throat and tapped his foot.

"If I were a stupid brat, where would I go?" he thought out loud, crossing his arms and tilting his head upwards, watching the bright oranges and reds splash over the sky. It would be dark soon.

He ran around blindly, like a mouse in a maze, searching for that one exit so far away.

"Rin!" he shouted, hearing his voice echo off the buildings around him. What would he do if he couldn't find Rin?

'_She couldn't have gotten far!'_ he thought wildly, his head whipping around as he searched for Rin. _'But Tokyo is huge.'_

Why did he care?

His frantic attempts to find Rin came to an abrupt halt once his mind whispered those four little words. Why _did_ he care? He had no earthly reason to care about Rin and where she was. She was a nuisance.

He tried to hide behind the idea that his grandfather would kill him. That, and he didn't want the guilt of knowing he'd lost his little cousin in the city because of his stupid teacher. But, perhaps, deep down inside, Inuyasha knew that wasn't true. Perhaps he knew that Rin was like him. She was alone in the world. But he was cynical and pragmatic and Rin was just a little girl, a little girl who didn't understand what was going on around her. Rin could smile. He hadn't smiled in years.

Rin was alone, somewhere out there. For all he knew, she could have been kidnapped. Shouldn't he be happy for Rin's disappearance? She was out of his hair, sure. She was a nuisance to him, he never failed to tell himself that. He'd been conned, in his opinion, into taking Rin.

He ground the heel of his palm into his forehead, clenching his eyes shut. What could he do? What _could_ he do?

Rin was somewhere out there, all alone. She was alone. She was alone. What had he done to make her feel at home?

Images of a past long gone flashed in his mind and he shook his head quickly. What had he done to make Rin feel that she wasn't at fault for her mother's death? What had he done to insure that Rin was okay and that she was alive? What had he done to acknowledge his cousin and reassure her that everything would be okay?

He'd done nothing.

He'd done the one thing that he hated more than anything else. He'd suffered it first-hand and now he was dishing it out to his innocent little cousin.

What could he do to stop it?

He released a large sigh. _'Stupid brat.'_

* * *

Sand drizzled through her fingers as she squatted over the sandbox. The wind rustled the trees above her and she watched, fascinated, as the wind brushed the sandbox, sending a small wave of sand over the edge and into the grass surrounding her rectangular sanctuary.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been there, in the small park, grounded in the sandbox. Her brown eyes, hooded as she kept her head ducked, blinked back tears acquired from her thoughts and the small grains of sand that danced in the wind.

"There you are!" a voice roared behind her.

Rin stiffened and turned around, tears in her eyes. Inuyasha stood before her, framed by the blustering trees and the flickering light of a streetlamp beyond the park. He was panting and he looked haggard. His tie was lopsided, hanging loosely around his neck, his shirt was untucked, and his pants were dirty. His fists were clenched at his side.

She squeaked, trying to muffle the tiny sob that left her throat.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. She knew what she'd done. She'd wandered away from where he would have picked her up. She'd been out for what felt like days, and she'd made a hassle for him. Tears clouded her vision and she ducked her head. "I'm sorry!"

Whatever bitter lecture Inuyasha was about to snap at Rin quickly left his mind as he watched Rin collapse to the ground, crying loudly.

Inuyasha released a large groan, knowing that he couldn't stay angry at a little girl who was crying. As much as he _hated_ to admit it, he knew that he couldn't stay angry at a crying little kindergartener.

He knelt before her, his knee cushioned by the soft sand around them. "Let's just get home."

Rin lifted her head, her brown eyes shining with hope. "Home? My home?"

Inuyasha's face melted into a look of confusion as he registered her question. Slowly, his clouded eyes closed and he shook his head. "No… I mean… I meant my home."

"Oh," Rin said as she visibly deflated. More tears drizzled from her eyes, splattering against her rumbled and sandy skirt. She repeated, "Oh."

Inuyasha, crouched awkwardly before Rin, watched as the tiny girl seemed to curl into a tiny ball and die. He remembered seeing that same look on a child's face. For years he'd seen it every time he passed a mirror. A silence passed between them, only broken by Rin's periodic sob or sniffle. Bowing her head in shame, Rin clutched at her dirty knees and tried to silence herself, but it was all in vain.

He'd seen that look. He'd hated that look. He'd always hated that look. His life revolved around his parents… and they were taken away from him. Why hadn't he seen that Rin was like him? Why hadn't he seen that Rin was just a little girl, completely alone in this world?

"Rin…" Inuyasha began but was quickly interrupted.

"Why did she go away?" Rin cried out loudly, tears in her eyes. "Is it because I never listened when she told me to eat my dinner? Or go to bed?" Rin reached out and clutched the material of Inuyasha's pants. "I want my mommy back, bring my mommy back!"

Her heartbroken stare penetrated Inuyasha's senses and he sat there stupidly, trying to register what the little girl was begging for. She continued to cry, calling out for her mother. Perhaps, up until that moment, Rin had forgotten that her mom was really gone. It was unnerving how much Rin was like him when he'd lost his parents.

"Mommy…" Rin cried out.

Inuyasha hesitantly reached out a hand and patted Rin's back, unsure how to make of it all and how to comfort her. He was growing increasingly awkward in this situation and had no idea how to remedy the girl's large tears and pleas for her mother. Those were wishes he couldn't fulfill for her.

"Mommy hates me! She has to hate me because I didn't brush my teeth or take baths when I was supposed to!" Rin sniffled loudly, wiping her hand against her face, trying to banish the tears. She reached inside her mind, trying to pinpoint the exact moment her mother started hating her, hating her enough to leave her alone forever. "I want my mommy."

"Rin," Inuyasha said quietly, swallowing thickly as he tried to find a suitable way to comfort the crying child. "Rin, come on… it's…"

He stopped. It wasn't okay. It wouldn't be okay for Rin for a long time, as long as she thought of her mother in sadness. He bit his lip, trying to remember what it was like for him when he'd lost his parents. He rarely acknowledged that his parents were gone, it was something he avoided like human contact. He just didn't want to think about it, it always disturbed unsettled memories and emotions deep within him.

"Your mother doesn't hate you," he said finally, wondering what it was that was possessing him to talk. Didn't he hate her? Didn't he want her to go away?

But he thought about his own mother. Her smiling face was slowly fading away from his memories. He was losing his mother. How could he wish the same thing on a girl so small and so young?

Rin sniffled and released a tiny cry.

"No one," he murmured, hesitantly patting Rin's head, feeling the softness of her brown hair against his palm. "Could hate you."

Her sob stifled and she blinked, tilting her head to look at him. Her large brown eyes surveyed him, as if searching for a confirmation or for some sign of his untrustworthiness.

Seeming to find nothing that suggested dishonesty, Rin offered him a tiny smile and sniffled.

"There…" he began before he realized that Rin was flinging herself at him and cushioned against his chest.

He released a tiny gasp of surprise as Rin clutched his white, button-down shirt of his uniform and started sobbing uncontrollably. She shook her head and cried, refusing to relinquish her grasp on his shirt. He sat awkwardly in the sandbox, watching as Rin continued to cry against his chest. He could feel the wet spot from her tears and snot already staining his uniform, but he couldn't find the heart to push her away.

"I miss my mom," Rin wept quietly.

Inuyasha sat, leaning on one of his hands as the other hand awkwardly patted Rin's back. He'd always wondered how it was that Rin could be so happy, so carefree, despite the fact that she'd lost both her parents, just as he had. Perhaps he'd been jealous of the girl's happiness. But now, he would have given anything for her to stop crying. Seeing Rin sad was weird and unnerving.

He'd grown used to Rin being the cheerful and happy one while he was the miserable one. Rin didn't deserve to be miserable like he was destined to be. She didn't deserve the sadness of being an orphan without anyone that cared about her. Like no one had for him.

"I know you do," Inuyasha murmured quietly, his eyes drifting to the darkened sky sadly. He knew. Oh, how he knew.

A short distance away, watching from the other side of a chained fence, Kagome Higurashi stood, cushioning a grocery bag in her hand, the wind whipping her black hair from her eyes as she watched the scene beyond.

* * *

Inuyasha ran his fingers through his shortened hair, his lavender eyes watching the lights of cars flashing by in the streets below. From his window on the third story, Inuyasha could watch the world below him and not have to enter it himself. A stray strand of black hair tumbled out from where it was tucked precariously behind his ear. It wavered in the soft night breeze filtering through his open window and he felt the soft strands brush his cheek.

He heard tiny footsteps behind him and turned his attention towards Rin. She was dressed in her pajamas and ready for bed. Her large brown eyes were red and puffy from her tears earlier that day. He stared at her uneasily, unsure what it was that Rin wanted him to say or do.

"Inu-oniichan," Rin murmured quietly, as if unsure what to say. Inuyasha jolted at the unexpected honorific tagged onto his name. Rin hadn't called him, well, anything, since she'd gotten here. She lowered her gaze and clutched her hands.

"What did you say?" Inuyasha asked in wonderment. He saw Rin's cheeks turn pink.

"Sorry," she whispered.

Inuyasha snorted and titled his chin upwards. "It's not like I care, or anything." He glanced at her and twitched his nose. "Call me whatever you want."

Rin's brown eyes looked up at him and she smiled widely at him, as if he'd just given her everything she wanted in the world. It was a bit unnerving, how unconditionally Rin loved people. He'd given her no reason to give him a smile like that, and yet there she was standing in his doorway and grinning happily up at him when only a couple hours ago she'd been a broken little girl in a sand box.

"Inu-oniichan," she repeated, her smile still piercing her lips.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and turned away, forcing himself to remain apathetic to her happiness. The last thing he needed was to become weak just because some little brat smiled at him. Who did she think he was, Santa Clause?

He opened his drawer and pulled out his own pajamas—sweat pants and a plain shirt. He glanced at Rin, who peeked up at him from behind the doorframe.

"Do you mind, I need to get changed, too, ya know," he snapped out before he could control himself. Rin released a tiny yip and disappeared from the doorway. Rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time that night, Inuyasha released a woebegone sigh and slipped on his own sleepwear.

"Oy," he called after Rin, who quickly reappeared at his beckoning. "What was it that you wanted, anyway?"

He crossed his arms and glanced at down at her angrily, his brows knitted into the permanent look of disapproval. Rin stared up at him, her large smile melted away and leaving only a curious expression shadowing her face.

"I wanted to…" Rin trailed off, staring up at him with a desperate expression in her eyes. "I wanted to know if I could sleep in here with you!"

He stared at her blankly, wondering why it was that Rin wanted to be in the same room with him. And, for that matter, why wasn't he shoving her out the door this very moment? When he stared down at Rin, he could see the hopeful expression in her eyes and apprehension.

Rin ducked her head. "I don't… want to have nightmares."

"How is sleeping in the same room as me going to help that?" Inuyasha said with disgust.

Rin quivered under his harsh voice and clenched her hands tightly together. "It's what my mommy would do for me…"

Silence met this remark and Inuyasha turned his gaze out the window, watching the city lights dotting his line of vision. How could he say no to _that_? The last thing he wanted was for Rin to start crying again. He didn't know how to deal with kids, let alone sad kids. Why did his aunt have to die? Why was he stuck like this?

"Fine," Inuyasha huffed and threw his hand towards his bed. "It's all yours."

Rin toddled across the room, her tiny, bare feet padding against the ground softly as she made her way quickly to his bed, as if afraid that he would change his mind and send her away. She huddled under the covers and stayed there, happy to be out of the inquiring eye of Inuyasha.

He sat down on the floor, not entering his own bed. He didn't want to share a bed with his young cousin. No way, no how. He sighed and crossed his legs, leaning against the wall his bed was positioned against.

A short moment later Rin's head poked out from underneath the covers, her brown eyes glowing. "Are you not tired?"

"I am," Inuyasha said tensely.

'_So annoying and troublesome,'_ Inuyasha thought sourly as he stared harshly at the wall in front of him. His lips quirked downwards. _'But I don't want her to cry anymore.'_

Rin didn't deserve sadness. She didn't deserve the life he'd received. His eyebrows furrowed. Rin was annoying. He didn't like Rin and he certainly hated having to take care of her, but, at the same time, he knew that he was the only thing she had, and he would not do as his own relatives did. He would not leave Rin alone to rot. Every fiber in his being screamed at the mere thought of it. He would not let Rin suffer as he had. Never.

Rin continued to watch him silently and Inuyasha tried his best to ignore her gaze. He felt unnerved under her stare.

"What?" he finally barked.

"You were nice to me today," Rin said finally, her voice quivering. "I like it when you're nice, Inu-oniichan."

Inuyasha froze, finding himself unable to stay immune to such a statement. He clenched his fists and finally turned his attention towards her. She stared at him calmly, that small glimmer of hope still dancing in her large brown eyes.

Inuyasha's heart pounded and he forced out another sigh. "Whatever."

Rin continued to look at him and Inuyasha grew uncomfortable again.

"Stop looking at me," he demanded.

Rin ducked under the covers, a small giggle leaving her lips. "Inu-oniichan is funny."

Inuyasha pounded the heel of his hand against his forehead. What had he done to deserve this torture? What? Him funny? He was being mean and was pissed off at her, and she thought that was funny?

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"There," Inuyasha said as he pulled back from the front door to his apartment, smirking at his cleverness. "That should do it."

On the door, Inuyasha had taped a small sign to the door. Scrawled across it in Inuyasha's ridiculous chicken scratch were the words 'Rin's little house'. What had possessed him to create such a thing was beyond him, but when he'd shown it to Rin, she'd seemed happy.

Cracking his back for the umpteenth time, Inuyasha sighed loudly. He had to work in a couple hours and he'd gotten a crappy night's sleep the night before, seeing as how Rin stole his bed from him.

"Good morning!" a voice called out from down the hall. Inuyasha whipped around and watched Kagome walking down the hallway, cradling a paper bag in one hand while waving at him with the other. She reached him quickly and smiled her welcome. "What are you doing out here, Shinkanshi-kun?"

"Do I need a reason to be standing outside my own door?" Inuyasha asked snidely. Kagome merely shrugged her shoulders and glanced around, her eyes falling on the door.

Inuyasha felt his face heat up and he pushed his hand out, ripping the slip of paper off his door. With his face the color of a fire truck, Inuyasha stuffed the now destroyed sign into his pocket.

"I only did it to keep her from being annoying," he told Kagome defensively.

Kagome laughed quietly and shrugged one shoulder. "I think it's very sweet of you to care about Rin-chan, after all."

"Keh," Inuyasha snorted out, closing his eyes. "I'm not sweet. And I don't care about her at all."

Kagome laughed again and didn't answer him, digging around the paper bag she'd brought. A short moment later she extracted a yellow-green can and handed it to him.

"Whatever you say, Shinkanshi-kun. Here," she said, plopping the aluminum can into his hand. "I bought you a lemon tea."

He gazed down at the can in his hand, almost as if he hadn't expected her to do such a random act of kindness. Instead of giving her the thanks she deserved, however, Inuyasha merely opened it and sipped on the carbonated drink.

"You're welcome," Kagome said patiently before slipping past him and into his home without invitation. He was a bit annoyed by it, but his desire to drink his lemon tea quickly outweighed his desire to call after Kagome and give her some snide remark.

He followed after her, his head tipped back to drink.


	6. Chapter 6: If Everyone Cared

**Daughters  
Chapter Six: If Everyone Cared**

* * *

"Here," Inuyasha said with a frown as he plopped a small plastic bag in Rin's hands.

"What's this?" she asked curiously, observing the bag and peeking inside at two rice balls Inuyasha had sloppily made.

"Your lunch," Inuyasha said with a grunt as he stuffed his books into his knapsack and closing the clasp with some difficulty. Glancing at himself in the reflection of the window over the stove, Inuyasha readjusted his tie so it was a bit straighter and turned away, missing when his tie flopped back down into its original, crooked position. "Come on."

Rin followed after him, keeping in stride with her older, taller cousin. Inuyasha glanced at his watch and readjusted his tie again. He hated ties. He hated school uniforms. He hated his school uniforms that included the blasted ties.

They walked in silence, Inuyasha being sure to walk slower so that Rin would not get lost in the early morning crowd of commuters and students. Inuyasha sidestepped easily and glanced back over his shoulder occasionally to make sure that Rin was still behind him.

A while later, Inuyasha and Rin parted ways, Rin entering her school with her teachers and Inuyasha leaving for his own classes. Inuyasha knew he'd be late because of the fact that he'd stayed to argue with the teachers about leaving Rin all by herself and not keeping a better eye on her. For their part, they did look ashamed, but quickly scolded him on always being late to pick Rin up.

They parted ways, and Inuyasha felt like his sour mood would never lift. He snarled angrily at his shoes and kicked a pebble in front of him. Turning down a smaller street that led to his school without the hassle of other bodies on the sidewalk, Inuyasha stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Don't want to go to school," he muttered to himself.

"People rarely do," a voice said beside him.

Inuyasha jumped and did an odd whiplash turnaround in order to look at Kagome, who watched him with some amusement. He felt his cheeks turn pink and he crossed his arms. Snorting loudly, he turned his head away so that Kagome couldn't see his embarrassment with being spotted not only talking to himself, but then acting ridiculously when she made her presence known.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked harshly. Kagome laughed.

"I live here," Kagome said calmly and pointed up to a tall, elegant building they were walking past. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Nothing!" Inuyasha declared heatedly.

"Of course, of course," Kagome said gently, a sigh in her voice. She walked beside him and said nothing more.

Inuyasha watched her out of the corner of his eye. The notice had been sent out throughout the school and the uniforms had been changed from winter to spring, and the light spring breeze ruffled the sleeves of Kagome's shirt.

The uncomfortable silence that railed after Inuyasha and Kagome was almost unbearable. Inuyasha kicked some pebbles lying on the street and turned the corner with Kagome beside him. Kagome was silent, staring at the ground, her shoulders tense. They both could feel the strain pulling in the air like a rubber-band and yet neither did anything to relieve the mounting tension.

As they turned another corner the school came into sight and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ah, there's the school," Kagome said, beaming, and her arm brushed against Inuyasha's as she made to point. Inuyasha quickly skirted away from the contact; he hadn't realized he was so close to Kagome in the first place.

"Congratulations, you can see," Inuyasha said sarcastically.

Kagome dropped her hand and looked at him, her blue eyes indescribable. Inuyasha felt raw under such an intense gaze and turned his head away. He started walking faster but was disappointed to hear Kagome's quickened footsteps behind him.

"What did I do to you?" she asked suddenly to his back. Inuyasha felt himself stiffen.

"Nothing," he snapped.

"Then why are you so rude to me? I admit, I've said some rude things to you, but you've said rude things to me, too. What did I do?" Kagome questioned earnestly, her blue eyes continuing to gaze at his back.

"You didn't do anything," Inuyasha said harshly. "Now just drop it."

"Then why are you so mean to me?"

"It's not always about you," Inuyasha said irritably as he whipped around. Kagome nearly crashed into his chest at his sudden stop but quickly stopped herself in time. She tilted her chin up to stare at the tall boy before her.

They stood in a stalemate, their eyes locking and their lips drawn into deep frowns. Around them students filtered into the school, paying no mind to the two stubborn classmates from class 3-4; Kagome felt uneasy under his gaze and Inuyasha vice versa.

"Then what?" she demanded.

"I'm mean to everyone," Inuyasha admitted, snarling at his classmate. "Why should you be any different?"

Kagome lowered her gaze and bit her lip.

"You've been nice to me ever since you found out I was a damned orphan," Inuyasha spat out, feeling his fury rising. "I don't need your damn pity, woman, I don't need _anyone_. I've always been alone and I'm fine with being alone now."

Kagome stood still. Save for the slight breeze that ruffled her school uniform, she could have looked like a statue. Her wide blue eyes stared at him in disbelief before she finally lowered her gaze and clutched her book bag tightly.

"I see…" she murmured. "Sorry to have bothered you."

With that, she took off at a run, running past him and into the school. Inuyasha wasn't sure what to feel about her sudden departure.

* * *

'_Whoever scheduled our class to have PE before lunch was a cruel, cruel soul,'_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he trotted around the last corner of his school's track and slowed down to a stop, panting along with his other male classmates. He tried to ignore his growling stomach. On the other side of the field, the girls were doing their PE class, too.

"Okay boys, partner up," their PE teacher, Mr. Nakamichi, called out to the senior boys, his lips quirked downwards in a frown—a feature that seemed engraved on his face. "And work on your running drills."

Inuyasha sighed and watched as the boys in his class quickly moved towards their friends and darted off to goof off and disregard their PE teacher's instructions. Inuyasha folded his arms and stared at his feet, kicking at stray pebbles that had bounced their way onto the rubber eight-lane track.

"Hey," a voice said beside him and Inuyasha glanced at a boy about his height, with bright blue eyes. "I'll be your partner."

"Whatever," Inuyasha muttered.

"You're Shinkanshi Inuyasha," the boy continued, not really taking notice of Inuyasha's sour attitude. "I'm Endo Miroku, but you probably already knew that."

"No," Inuyasha said flatly.

Miroku looked stricken. "But… I've sat behind you since the beginning of the year!"

"Sorry," Inuyasha said with a shrug, not really meaning the apology and not really listening to the boy.

"Well, that's okay," Miroku said with his own shrug, waving aside Inuyasha's cold attitude with a wave of his hand. "You know me now."

Inuyasha started walking away, heading towards an empty section of the track. "Come on, Indo."

"Endo," Miroku corrected, smiling nervously.

"Hm," Inuyasha grunted.

He hated PE. He especially hated PE right before lunch. He worked with Miroku, because he didn't want to talk to him, like his other classmates were to their own partners. They raced around the track, Inuyasha never letting Miroku get the upper hand. Either Miroku noticed his attitude and chose to ignore it, or he was just an idiot. Inuyasha was leaning towards the latter and didn't spare any sympathy for Miroku when he lamented that he hated running and had horrendous endurance.

Across the field, Miss Kurosaki was with the girls, having them play volleyball. The girls were divided up into four separate teams and two games were underway already. Kagome Higurashi continued to stare at him before quickly turning her gaze away.

Inuyasha felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The last thing he wanted was for Kagome to be staring at him. Who the hell did she think he was? Some animal on display? He'd told her off this morning and she hadn't dared talked to him all day. So why did she keep looking at him?

'_There she goes again,'_ he thought angrily as Kagome glanced at him before quickly looking away when she realized that Inuyasha was staring angrily back at her.

Miroku was laughing beside him. "Geez, Kagome's looking at you a lot."

Inuyasha snapped his head around and cursed the boy, who backed away in alarm at the sudden hostility (that he'd either ignored or didn't notice up until this point). He waved his hands in what he supposed was a pacifying manner and tried to soothe Inuyasha's ruffled feathers.

"Kagome must really like you," he continued, unknowingly fueling Inuyasha's anger. What Miroku thought was comfort was only enraging Inuyasha more. "She's usually a bit introverted, ya know?"

Inuyasha stalked away from Miroku and the said boy stared after him in confusion. "Hey, where are you going?"

Inuyasha didn't bother answering his classmate and stalked across the field towards where the girls were playing their volleyball game. It took a couple of minutes, but eventually the girls noticed that a boy from across the field was indeed approaching them. They paused in their games and the two volleyballs rolled at their feet until falling into a rut and stopping.

Kagome watched Inuyasha curiously as he stalked up to her, seething.

The girls around Kagome chatted nervously with one another. PE classes were strictly segregated and they'd never seen the rule be broken before, especially by a loner that didn't say anything instead of a player, like Miroku or any of the other boys in their class.

And never before had a boy stalked across the field, disobeyed the segregation rule, nor had the said boy been a silent loner who stalked up to a fairly popular girl. Kagome blinked in alarm, clutching her hands together as she watched his approach.

"Yes?" she asked calmly when he came to a halt before her. The boys across the field seemed to have realized Inuyasha's disappearance and turned attention towards the girls in the distance, where they could make out the male PE uniform swimming amidst the sea of female PE uniforms.

"Stop it," he commanded and the girls around Kagome and Inuyasha wondered what he meant.

"Stop what?" she asked, still calmly observing him.

"Looking at me," he snapped.

"Who said I was looking at you?" Kagome shot back, her eyebrows lifting towards her hairline.

"Don't be stupid," Inuyasha said harshly and some of the girls recoiled at Inuyasha's brashness. "I don't want you acting all high and mighty, glancing my way with those damned looks of pity. I hate that! I hate it, you got that? So stop."

"I have no pity for you," Kagome snapped, turning her face away and knitting her brows. She wrinkled her nose before whipping her head back towards him. "So stop acting like you're the most important guy in the world. Just because I glance your way doesn't mean that I feel sorry for you."

"Then why the fuck are you being nice to me, huh? If it's not pity?" Inuyasha said, enraged.

Kagome scoffed. "Why are you so against someone being nice to you? Maybe I just want to be nice to you."

"Why the hell would anyone be nice to me?" Inuyasha snapped out angrily.

Kagome was silent for a short moment, her eyes glowing with her anger. "Maybe because I want to be your friend."

Inuyasha stared at her, flabbergasted. "Why the hell would you want that?"

Kagome bit her lip and clutched her hands tighter, her knuckles going white. "I don't know…" she admitted. "I just think that maybe you'd like a friend."

Inuyasha snorted. "That's stupid. I don't need friendship. Especially from a stupid and annoying girl like you."

"But I thought…" Kagome muttered to herself, trailing off.

"You really are a moron," Inuyasha said with a snarl. "What makes you think for a minute that I'd even want to be friends with a stupid, ugly girl like you? It's just a waste of your time. I have no desire to be friends with anyone. Especially you."

Kagome's blue eyes stared at him, and Inuyasha almost saw a glimmer of sadness in her oceanic gaze. She lowered her gaze and released her grasp on her hands. A second later, however, those two hands clenched into fists and she shook.

Whipping her head up Inuyasha almost saw the tears in her eyes. "Fine then! I won't try to be nice to you anymore. I won't try to be your friend!"

Inuyasha's mouth clamped shut. He hadn't expected that. He'd expected her to tell him he was a jerk, or something of that nature.

"I guess I really must be an idiot to want to be friends with you. I thought that maybe, if you had someone to talk to, you wouldn't be so angry all the time. But now I see that you're just a jerk, who doesn't care about anyone." Kagome shook her head quickly. "I never want to speak to you again."

Inuyasha saw the tears now.

All around him girls stared at him, their critical eyes silently tearing him apart for daring to make their classmate cry. One of them, Sango Inuyasha thought her name was, inched over to Kagome and touched her shoulder. Kagome turned away quickly and trotted away, hiding behind Sango's taller frame.

Inuyasha stood rooted to the ground, unsure what he felt about making Kagome cry. No one wanted to be his friend… and this display probably just solidified that belief. But, Kagome had wanted to be his friend? Kagome wanted to befriend him? Be nice to him?

He felt like a jerk, and knew he was one. He'd always known. He'd made Kagome cry.

Even if she'd said rude things to him, knowingly or unknowingly, Inuyasha knew that Kagome was trying to make amends with him. And he'd completely shoved it back in her face. Was she genuine in her attempts to befriend him? Or was it pity?

"Come with me, young man," the girl's PE teacher said angrily, tugging Inuyasha away by his shoulder. The girls in his class continued to look back at him in contempt.

* * *

"Let's hurry home and cook dinner, okay, Rin-Chan?" Kagome said as she clutched Rin's hand tightly.

"Okay, Kagome!" Rin bubbled happily, swinging the small bag of groceries Kagome had trusted her with. Two larger bags swung at Kagome's side. "Do you think Inu-oniichan will be happy that we made dinner?"

Kagome's face twitched and she turned her head again, looking away from the child. Her heart throbbed and she tried not to think about her classmate and employer. It hurt to think about what he'd said in front of everyone to her.

"I'm sure he'll be happy," Kagome lied. Knowing Inuyasha, he'd find something wrong with their cooking and refuse to eat it. "Especially since you're making it for him!"

"Yeah!" Rin chirped happily.

Kagome came to a stop at the crosswalk. The streetlight overhead blinked precariously. Kagome sighed and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Hey!" Rin said suddenly, startling Kagome. "There's Inu-oniichan now!"

Kagome looked to see where Rin was pointing and sure enough, there was Inuyasha, inside a small restaurant. He scribbled down something on a notepad before disappearing around the corner, undoubtedly going to place the order his customers had given him.

"Well, what do you know…? It is Shinkanshi-Kun," Kagome said, a small trace of sadness in her voice that Rin didn't pick up on. His words from Monday still stung, after all. She didn't want to see him.

"Let's go say hi to him!" Rin said, determined to do just that. She clutched Kagome's hand tighter and dragged her towards where Inuyasha was working.

Kagome didn't see any appeal in that idea. When she'd come to her classmate's house to watch Rin, they hadn't said a word to one another. He'd simply barked at Rin to not cause any trouble and stalked away. She hadn't wanted to talk to him, anyway. Not after what he'd said on Monday during PE. She'd been content with the silent treatment. It had been going on for two days and she wasn't about to break it.

Especially in such a circumstance.

"Wait, Rin-Chan, I don't think…" Kagome trailed off as she allowed the girl to pull her into the restaurant on the corner. Inside the dusty restaurant, Kagome could barely make Inuyasha out through the smoke that hung in the air like a cloud.

"Inu-oniichan!" Rin started to walk towards where she saw Inuyasha last. Kagome quickly wrenched Rin back.

"Rin, no!" Kagome commanded, watching as Inuyasha slipped by them, holding a large tray of drinks. He hadn't noticed Kagome or Rin's presence yet. "We can't interrupt Shinkanshi-Kun while he's working."

"Ah," Rin deflated, looking defeated.

Kagome sighed. "Come on, Rin-Chan. Let's go home before he notices us and gets angry."

"Okay…" Rin said sadly.

They moved back outside, their plastic white bags swinging as they moved around the corner just in time for the light to turn green and cars to rush by in a large wave. Kagome sighed sadly. They'd just missed the light.

"Ah well. We'll just have to wait," Kagome said more to herself than to her small companion. "Hopefully Shinkanshi-Kun won't notice me."

Rin watched her for a long moment, her hand gripping Kagome's larger one earnestly. "Kagome…?" Rin ventured. "Why are you sad?"

Kagome blinked her eyes and tilted her head upward, not wishing for Rin to see her pained look. She didn't know why it was that Inuyasha's anger affected her so deeply. If he didn't want to be nice to her, then fine, she should let it go. She couldn't get along with everyone. But… she wanted Inuyasha to like her. She wanted him to like _her_…

Her heart throbbed again and she clutched the material of her shirt, just above her chest. She swallowed and ducked her head.

"I don't know," she lied to Rin. The little girl wouldn't be able to understand. She blinked back tears and sighed, trying to control her whirlpool of emotions. The last thing she wanted was to break down crying in front of Inuyasha's work place. "Let's just go home."

"Hey, pretty lady," a slick voice said behind Kagome. The said girl froze instantly and hesitantly turned her head towards the voice.

A tall man stood, leaning against the wall of the restaurant, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. The blue-grey smoke curled in the air like a translucent snake, dancing in the night's air. It curled and danced around his head before disappearing in the sky above. Kagome swallowed.

"Can I help you?" Kagome questioned, willing the light behind her to change.

"Maybe," the man said with a small shrug. With a small 'pfft' the cigarette butt was on the ground and his heel pounded against it once before it extinguished. He smiled wickedly at her, his teeth stained a deep yellow from years of tobacco use.

Kagome repositioned herself so that she was standing in front of Rin. The little girl had the sense to remain silent, quietly clutching the hem of Kagome's light blue, summery skirt. Her brown eyes watched the scene before her, fear written on her face.

"Well…" Kagome willed the shaking in her voice to cease. "I'm sorry… but I don't have any change for the bus fare. I… uh… maybe the people inside have some."

Her eyes darted to the streetlight. It was still green and cars whizzed by, taking no mind of the high school girl facing a much older, stronger man. Her blue eyes surveyed her surroundings, willing someone inside the restaurant to come out and save her. She couldn't defend herself against a man _and_ protect Rin at the same time. She didn't like the way he was looking at her.

"I don't need money," he said with the same wolfish grin on his face. He took a step towards her and Kagome stiffened, her grip on Rin's shoulder forcing the small girl to skirt behind her. Her eyes narrowed in warning and she felt her heart hammering against her chest.

"Kagome…" Rin cried behind her.

"Run away, Rin," Kagome commanded, her eyes never straying from the man before her.

"No," Rin whispered, still clutching Kagome's skirt.

"I said run away," Kagome repeated, turning around to stare at the little girl.

That was a mistake.

Within moments Kagome felt a grip on her wrists. She screamed out of impulse and the bags of groceries and her purse fell to the ground. She gasped in pain as the man slammed her against the wall. She tried to cry out but she was quickly silenced by a pair of cold lips pressed firmly against her own.

Rin stared in horror, her entire body shaking as Kagome tried to break away from the man. The alcohol on the man's breath nearly suffocated Kagome and she thrashed and kicked, trying to break free from the man's steel vice-like hold.

'_No,'_ she thought miserably, kicking fruitlessly. They were nestled in the shadows—no one would save her. She clenched her eyes shut as the man's tongue swept through her mouth. She bit down hard.

"You bitch!" the man snarled, pulling away and spitting onto the pavement. Kagome panted, her eyes widened in fear.

"Rin, run away!" Kagome screamed as the man lifted a fist and it flew towards her. She clenched her eyes shut again. She gasped in pain as the fist pushed against her cheek, whipping her head to the side.

"Shut the fuck up," the man snapped, his fist raised threateningly. Kagome's cheek throbbed and she knew it would bruise over. Her eyes widened and she shook. Her heart hammered against her chest and she tried to push the man away. His steel chest refused to budge under her limp arms.

"Please," she cried. "Don't."

The man laughed; his laughter was cold and mirthless. Kagome felt as if a bucket of ice water was splashed on her. Her body felt weak. She couldn't defend herself against this man. Why wasn't anyone coming out? Why wasn't she strong enough to protect herself?

"Please," Kagome repeated, still trying to push against him.

"Shut up," he snarled, raising another fist. Kagome clenched her eyes shut, already imagining the pain it would bring. Her cheek still throbbed.

The expected fist never came. Kagome kept her eyes shut and didn't dare open them, for fear of seeing something she didn't want to see. She shook visibly, even as a second hand touched her shoulders, encasing her in warmth. Unlike the first man's grip, this one was almost comforting.

She opened her eyes and nearly jumped in shock to see Inuyasha's arm around her, while his other hand gripped the man's fist tightly.

"Shinkanshi-Kun…" Kagome breathed, her eyes wide.

Inuyasha didn't respond. Instead, he focused his attention on the man before him, who narrowed his eyes.

"Haven't you got anything better to do than to force yourself on a girl?" Inuyasha asked calmly, betraying no emotions. Kagome shook beside him. He glanced at her and shoved her away towards Rin. "Stay back," he ordered. "Don't get in the way."

Kagome clutched her hands together, backing up towards Rin and hiding the small girl behind her legs, not wishing to expose Rin to the scene. Inuyasha's lavender eyes blazed angrily.

"Shinkanshi-Kun," Kagome repeated. She collapsed to the ground, quietly taking Rin and hiding her in the shadows. She felt her entire body shaking. She could still taste the man in her mouth.

"What do you care what I do?" the man said, trying to pry his fist free from Inuyasha's grip.

"I don't care," Inuyasha said bitterly. "But I cannot allow someone who takes advantage of women and children to go along their way unharmed."

"Oh?" the man said, laughter in his voice. He sent a kick towards Inuyasha and caught him in the stomach. "A knight in shining armor, then?"

"Hardly," Inuyasha snarled, sending a punch to the man's face and knocking him back a couple feet.

Their eyes blazed angrily, and each threw punches. Inuyasha ducked and threw a kick. The man dodged and threw his own punch. They continued in that fashion, their bodies moving around one another as if the fight were choreographed. Kagome watched in amazement, her blue eyes wide and her entire body trembling.

Kagome watched in horror as the man captured Inuyasha's foot after an attempted kick and threw him against a pyramid of empty food crates near the back door of his work. Inuyasha groaned but was quickly on his feet. A small bruise was forming near his temple, he could feel it.

He charged the man and swept his feet out, catching the inside of his knees and causing them to buckle. The man dropped to the ground in time to receive a backhand in the jaw. His head whipped upwards and Inuyasha continued his assault.

Releasing a string of curses, the man rolled away, his yellow teeth flashing angrily as he extracted a pocket knife. Kagome stared in shock as the man dove towards Inuyasha, the blade glinting in the dim light of a streetlight.

Inuyasha dodged, like he was made of liquid, and the blade merely grazed over his forearm. Her classmate spun around and caught the man's wrist, twisting the appendage behind his back.

"Bastard," the man hissed, his arm screaming in pain. The knife clattered to the ground.

Inuyasha said nothing, merely threw the man away from him. He stumbled and hit the wall near Kagome. Kagome gasped in horror as the man rushed forward and grasped Kagome's wrist.

"Come on, pretty lady. You know you liked it."

The man was hysterical, wishing for some leverage over the black-haired boy. The alcohol loosened his movements, and he lacked the proper knowledge of a fighter, unlike Inuyasha, who was disciplined in martial arts—and life experiences.

"Let me go," Kagome gasped as the man inched closer. She shook violently. He'd stolen her first kiss. He was touching her. She could feel him on her, crawling like a spider.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" Inuyasha snarled and threw an empty crate lining the wall of his restaurant against the man's face. The man collapsed, his body hitting the ground like deadweight. Silence met the man's descent and Kagome blinked. He was unconscious. It was over.

"Oy," Inuyasha said angrily, kneeling beside Kagome. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Kagome stared at him, tears filling her eyes.

Inuyasha didn't seem to notice. "Did he hurt you? What the hell are you doing out here, anyway? You and Rin shouldn't be out after dark."

Kagome continued to stare at him until the tears clouded her vision and overflowed, running down her cheeks. Inuyasha recoiled in shock as Kagome ducked her head and cushioned her face in her hands, crying uncontrollably.

She was trembling. Inuyasha blanched. "Oy…"

"I didn't… I didn't want that…!" Kagome cried out, tears staining her hands, her shoulders shaking. She could taste him in her mouth. He was her first kiss. She could still feel his lips, his tongue, his presence. Kagome knew that, if Inuyasha hadn't come, it would have turned out much worst. That only scared her more.

His hand touched her shoulder softly before quickly disappearing. She lifted her head. She could just make out his figure through the curtain of tears. "Shinkanshi-Kun…"

He stared at her curiously, unsure how to help her.

"Thank you," she sobbed, clutching her knees and ducking her head. "Without you…"

"Keh," he said quietly, turning his face away. His cheeks were stained pink. "Like I could let someone do that to a defenseless girl."

Kagome nodded. He hadn't done it for her, per say, but just because his morals wouldn't let him just turn away. Nevertheless, she was eternally grateful to him.

"Rin," Inuyasha said harshly and the said girl peeked out, her entire body tense and her face fearful. "It's safe now."

Rin ventured out and stared between the two people before her. She clenched Kagome's shirt sleeve. "Kagome…" she whispered. "Don't cry."

Kagome lifted her gaze and stared at Inuyasha again, a world of gratitude in her eyes. "Shinkanshi-Kun," she whispered. Her blue eyes, tears swimming within them, took in his blushing profile. He eyed her warily. "Are you hurt?"

"That's my line," he muttered and continued to blush. He cleared his throat. He glanced down at the small line of blood on his arm, soaking through his work shirt. "I'm not hurt. He was nothing."

He turned his face to look at her, his lavender eyes clouded and smoky. Kagome felt as if she could become lost in such eyes. The heated orbs surveyed her face and settled on her cheek. The wine colored eyes darkened as he stared at the forming bruise.

He reached out a hand but quickly recoiled it, mentally berating himself for wanting to touch her cheek. He turned his face away.

"It looks worse than it is," Kagome reassured him, lying through her teeth. Her cheek throbbed painfully and she placed her hand over it, covering the colored skin shamefully. "I'm fine. I promise."

After informing the manager of what had happened and the police were called, Inuyasha took off for the night.

"Oy," he called to the two girls sitting at a table nearby. "We're going home. Come on."

Walking in the darkness, Rin sleeping against Kagome's shoulder as the girl held her with both hands, Inuyasha made his way towards Kagome's house. Kagome shivered at the events of the night, her grocery bags swinging limply in her numb hand. It had all happened so fast.

"I'm sorry," she spoke, breaking the silence the two classmates had created. Inuyasha didn't say anything but continued walking. "I wasn't able to protect Rin… or myself."

Inuyasha sighed, closing his eyes. "You must really be an idiot, huh? Walking alone at night in that part of town. What were you thinking? You were just asking to be mugged." He glanced at her. "Or worse."

Kagome ducked her head in shame.

"But everything turned out okay in the end," Inuyasha lamented, his hooded eyes lifting to look at the twinkling lights of the city around him. "So you don't need to apologize."

"Right," Kagome said, still feeling ashamed.

They walked in silence, the only sound in the empty streets were the sound of their footfalls. Rin muttered something in her sleep, shifted, and then continued her slumber. Kagome stumbled over her thoughts, trying to find something to say to Inuyasha to voice her gratitude for what he'd done for her.

"I'm a jerk, aren't I?" Inuyasha said after the long silence.

Kagome shifted her hands so she could support Rin better. Her plastic bags crinkled. "I wouldn't say that…"

"I am," he said firmly, pursing his lips.

"I don't think that that's who you really are," Kagome said finally, not denying his accusations on himself. "You're not nice, Inuyasha. I have to be honest. You can be mean and rude to people."

Inuyasha paused in his step and sighed.

"But," Kagome continued. "I've seen the good in you. Even if you like to deny it. I know it's there. You're a good person."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Inuyasha whispered, thinking back on Rin's teacher the first day he'd brought her to school. "I'm not a good person."

"This is my house," Kagome said, defeat in her voice. She punched in her code and the door clicked open. She deposited Rin into Inuyasha's arms. "Thanks again, Shinkanshi-Kun."

"Whatever," he muttered, shifting Rin.

"Even if you don't think you are," Kagome said, picking up on their conversation. "I think that you _are_ a good man." She paused, clutching her doorframe. "Maybe you just need to look harder."

"Wha… hey, wait," Inuyasha began.

"Good night, Shinkanshi-Kun," Kagome said with a blush, clicking her door shut.


	7. Chapter 7: Friend or Foe

**Daughters  
Chapter Seven: Friend or Foe**

* * *

"Oh, shoot," Kagome lamented as another crayon snapped in her hand. She frowned and studied the blue wax with a critical eye. "How do you hold these things without breaking them?"

Rin looked up from her own drawing. "You press too hard."

"Ah, sorry," Kagome said with another frown. "I'll buy you new crayons soon, Rin-Chan. I hate to think about all these crayons I've broken."

Sure enough, Kagome was accumulating a large pile of broken crayons. The small graveyard of destroyed coloring tools served as a bitter reminder of Kagome's inability to draw or do anything creatively.

Rin shrugged her shoulders. "I don't mind. Since you're here to keep me company! I needed new crayons anyway." Rin looked sadly at her broken drawing utensils. She lifted her head and looked at Kagome. "You're a good drawer."

"Oh," Kagome said, flushing at the unexpected compliment, even if it was from a little girl. "Thank you. You too."

"I'm drawing a picture for Inu-oniichan," Rin announced as she continued coloring in the said picture. Kagome paused in her drawing and watched the little girl color along the page, creating something she thought that her cousin would like.

"Why?" Kagome asked.

Rin paused and looked at Kagome, not fully understanding the one-word question. Kagome frowned thoughtfully, watching the girl's reaction.

"I mean, why are you drawing a picture for him?" Kagome clarified.

Rin still didn't understand. "I want to."

Kagome pressed harder. Why did Rin want to draw a picture for someone who hadn't shown one moment of kindness? Inuyasha wasn't a completely heartless person, she knew. She'd seen him do stuff for Rin, but he'd never been nice about it. He'd never been sweet about it. He'd just been, well, him.

"But, Rin," Kagome continued, wishing for some definite answer, even if it was from a little girl. "He's mean."

Kagome didn't necessarily think Inuyasha was _always_ mean; he was decent enough to Rin. Kagome just wondered what the little girl thought of the boy. Kagome was very curious by nature, despite the fact that she didn't particularly like giving things away about her own life. She liked to help others.

Rin blinked and stared down at her drawing then back up at her babysitter. She stared earnestly at the older girl, as if trying to collect an answer deep within her. Her brown eyes glowed in the darkening room.

"Inu-oniichan takes care of me," Rin finally said and shrugged her shoulders. "I know that Inu-oniichan would prefer not to have me around, but he watches over me anyway."

Kagome nodded her head but Rin wasn't done.

Rin licked her lips and tilted her head upwards, staring at the ceiling fan that slowly circulated above them, barely pushing the warm air in the apartment. Summer was approaching. Even as the sun set outside Kagome could feel the sticky air saturating the streets.

"Inu-oniichan is nice," Rin said with a nod. "But he doesn't like people to know."

Kagome stared numbly down at the paper she'd been drawing on. The simple, five pointed flower looked back up at her, as if it were silently mocking her. Kagome's hand floated out and grasped another crayon, adding in a splash of pink to the flower's petals.

"Maybe," she finally agreed, scrunching up her face.

How can Rin find it in herself to care about someone who isn't nurturing or nice to her? How can Rin continue to smile and laugh? She thought bitterly of her own family and ducked her head, fighting back the wave of emotions that accompanied the images of her father, her almost step-mother, and…

She swallowed. "Rin-Chan," she said, interrupting her thoughts. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes!" Rin chirped and Kagome was thankful for the distraction.

She lifted herself up and padded to the kitchen, her socks slipping over the tiles of the kitchen. She worked diligently and made a small bowl of popcorn for Rin to tide her over while she made dinner.

As she worked on chopping vegetables she heard the front door open and shot and the shuffling of who she assumed could only be her employer.

"I'm home," his tired voice drifted down the hallway. Rin perked up instantly and quickly shuffled towards the door to greet her cousin. Rin squealed her welcome and waved at her cousin. From the kitchen, Kagome could hear Inuyasha's small grunt and his shuffling as he tried to move down the hallway. Evidently, Rin was in the way, because she soon heard Inuyasha grouch, "Oy, move."

Kagome rolled her eyes as a short moment later Rin came darting back with Inuyasha in tow. He looked tired and disheveled. His already messy hair appeared even messier, sticking up in odd places. His face was dirty. His clothes were dirty. He was hunched over and rubbing a spot behind his neck with his hand.

"Welcome home," Kagome greeted and quickly ducked her head, continuing to chop vegetables. Things were still a little awkward between them. Inuyasha grunted in reply and shuffled to the couch, flopping down and staying there for a long moment. He groaned as he stretched out across the couch, his feet draping over the side.

"Inu-oniichan is tired!" Rin said cheerfully, successfully pointing out the obvious.

"You're kidding," Inuyasha replied, sarcastically.

Kagome paused in her chopping and preparation and glanced at the tired form of Inuyasha, who didn't stir even after Rin tugged on his shirt for his attention. She moved away from the sink and to the refrigerator. She grabbed a soda.

Kagome left the sanctity of the kitchen and stood near Inuyasha as he lounged on the couch.

"Shinkanshi-Kun," Kagome said uneasily, fidgeting with her hands. Her cheek throbbed—it still hurt from the man's punch. Kagome quickly pushed such thoughts away. "I've started dinner… Rin's hungry, so…" she hated to tell him what to do. "But you'll have to start it soon."

He glanced at her and tipped his head back, hiding his lavender eyes under heavy lids. "God…" he moaned, sounding tired. "Don't leave."

Kagome felt her face turn hot. She knew he didn't mean it like _that_, as if he wanted her just for her company, but it still sent a weird feeling shooting down to her gut. She turned her face away.

"I can cook for you," she whispered. "You look tired."

Her only response was a grunt.

She leaned over and bumped the can of soda against his arm. "You want this?" she questioned. A moment later his hand flashed out and took the can away from her hand. She rolled her eyes when he didn't say anything. "You're welcome."

Silence fell over the apartment—Inuyasha lounged on the couch, Kagome cooked, and Rin colored. After what seemed like an eternity of uncomfortable silences, dinner was ready and Kagome spooned a large amount of rice and vegetables—sans the peppers—into a bowl for Rin and deposited it before Rin. The said girl cheered and quickly pushed her crayons away, happy for the food.

She made another bowl and headed towards the solitary figure of Inuyasha, still lying on the couch. He cracked his eyes open as he felt her approach and Kagome ducked her head, not wanting to make eye contact.

"Here," she said, thrusting the bowl towards him. He sat up and took it. She turned away from him.

"Oy," he said to Kagome's back. The girl paused in her retreat away from him. She swallowed and turned her head. "Does it still hurt?"

She realized vaguely that he meant her cheek—which had colored to a disgusting purple and yellow combination. She felt her cheeks turn red with her shame and she quickly shook her head.

"Liar," he muttered and took a bite of his food. He looked away.

Kagome bit her tongue. Her cheek did still hurt, but she wished he would drop it.

"I should go," she said after another uncomfortable silence between the two teenagers.

"Ah," Rin whined, looking crestfallen. "Can't you stay for dinner? _Pleeeeeeeeeease_?"

Rin swiveled her head around, looking at Inuyasha. She knew that he held the control of whether Kagome could stay or not. Kagome moved away, returning to the kitchen. Any way to get away from Inuyasha's line of vision was fine by her.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I don't care. So long as I don't need to clean up the kitchen."

"In other words," Kagome called, happy for the distraction to say something other than her cheek didn't hurt. "Yes, I can stay because then I can do your dishes."

"You're the one that cooked," Inuyasha countered. "You make the mess; you clean it up."

Kagome sighed but a small smile breezed over her lips. She made herself a bowl and sat down next to Rin. It was better than going home to Abi's cooking, which wasn't nearly as good as her mother's…

Kagome's chopsticks shook in her hand at the thought of her mother. She shook her head quickly and ate, refusing to let herself dwell on thoughts of her mother.

For one brief moment Kagome could pretend that she was okay. Sitting at the table, helping Rin when she wanted refills and scolding Inuyasha for eating sloppily and getting rice all over the table, Kagome almost felt like she was at home. She pursed her lips at the thought and quickly shook her head.

"Peppers," Rin said stubbornly and held her bowl out. Kagome obediently picked the said vegetables out and placed them in her own bowl. "Thank you, Kagome-Chan!"

"You're welcome," Kagome said, distracted as she stared down at her bowl of vegetables and rice. The peppers she'd just added almost seemed out of place. She didn't know why.

"I still say you should learn to live with the damned peppers," Inuyasha muttered to himself, staring at his own bowl.

"Don't swear in front of Rin," Kagome said automatically. She'd said it so many times she doubted that he even noticed she said it anymore. True enough, Inuyasha didn't reply but continued to stare stubbornly at his bowl.

Rin looked between her two companions and titled her head upwards.

"I drew a picture for you, Inu-oniichan," she told the ceiling.

"Did you?" he asked and Kagome could hear the surprise in his own voice.

"Yep," Rin chirped and smiled brightly at Inuyasha.

Kagome watched the interaction: Rin beaming brightly at her cousin and the said boy looking at her utterly confused. Kagome stifled a giggle and felt a familiar warmth within her.

Was this what it was like?

Was this what it was like to be in a home?

To be needed? Loved, even?

"Uh," Inuyasha said, blinking as he turned his attention away from Rin. "Good. I guess."

Kagome smiled at her bowl of food.

* * *

Rin sighed as she sat on the steps of her school, her head cushioned by her hands. She was waiting for Inuyasha, as usual. Inuyasha was still serving his detentions for his disruption during PE class and Rin had grown used to waiting for her cousin to come and pick her up.

She watched the birds in the tree near the corner of her schoolyard idly, her lips quirked downwards in a thoughtful frown as she regarded the fluttering fluffs of feathers.

The girl shifted around on the seat, growing restless. The sun was beating down and she felt a little warm in her jacket. But she didn't move to take it off. She was in a lazy mood; the kind of mood associated with a hot summer day when the soft buzz of a fly can loll someone to sleep.

She watched the clouds in the sky, searching, in vain, for something that she could do. She lowered her eyes only to look back at the clouds a second time. She couldn't sit still. She didn't want to sit still.

Listening to her inner urgings, Rin stood up and trotted around the schoolyard, chasing after a butterfly when it fluttered past her. Life was so carefree for her, and she couldn't wait for her cousin to come and pick her up so that she could go home and see Kagome. Inuyasha had to work tonight and she was looking forward for her surrogate big sister to come so that she could show her the drawings she'd made. She'd taken to hanging them up on the refrigerator so every time Kagome went to get her a drink, she could see the large pictures she'd drawn of them together.

She hummed to herself as she leaned over and plucked a stray daisy from the grass.

"Oy," a voice said behind her.

Rin had taken to associating such a word with Inuyasha and she quickly turned around, grinning widely. She was surprised, however, not to see the uniform her cousin wore or her cousin himself. Instead, she was rewarded with a shorter boy with a middle school uniform on.

"You're not Inu-oniichan," Rin said firmly, her brow puncturing in confusion.

"Nah," the boy said sloppily. "I'm not."

Rin frowned. "Go away."

The boy's eyebrows arched. He chuckled. "I will if you give me some money. For the bus."

Rin's frown deepened. "I don't have money. I walk home."

"Then what are you doing here all by yourself?" the boy continued, laughing to himself.

Rin didn't like him. She decided silently that she didn't like the way he looked. He was a Yankee, she could tell. She crossed her arms and gave him a look that rivaled Inuyasha's deep glares.

"I don't like you. Go away," she said firmly, trying her hardest to be like her cousin. He always scared people away. Why not her, too?

The boy's chuckling ceased and he frowned, his dark eyes flashing. His hand whipped out and shoved her. Rin released a tiny squeak of surprise and fell to the ground. Pain shot through her backside but she refused to cry out.

"Little baby can't go home by herself because she's got to wait for her mommy and daddy, huh?" the boy mocked. Laughter sounded behind him. For the first time Rin realized that there was more than one. They all stood scowling down at her and Rin felt tears pushing against the back of her eyes. But she would not cry. She would not.

"Leave me alone," Rin said, though with less conviction as before.

She struggled to her feet. She dusted herself off. She was knocked to the ground again by the boy.

This time she did cry out and she could have kicked herself for betraying her determination. She cried out as she landed and another jolt of pain shot through her. Her backside was getting dirty from falling multiple times to the ground. The flower she'd picked was crushed beneath her clenched hands.

"Dude, she doesn't have any money," a boy said behind her attacker and Rin clenched her fists.

"You're right," he sighed and backed away from the girl, looking very disappointed that he'd been interrupted and his efforts had been fruitless. "Let's get out of here."

Rin watched as the boys left as quickly as they'd come. She shivered and scrunched up into a little ball, feeling weak for not being able to protect herself. She wanted to make Inuyasha proud. She wanted to make her mom proud. How could she if she couldn't stand up against some boy?

"Oy," a voice said again and Rin stiffened, hoping that it wasn't the boy. "What the hell are you doing in the dirt?"

Rin turned her head and stared up at her cousin, who looked back down at her with his permanent look of frustration. Rin couldn't understand how he could always keep his brow furrowed. Wouldn't it hurt after a while?

"Com here," he ordered and grasped her hand, hauling her to her feet. "Let's get going."

He walked down the street, dragging her behind him. Rin clenched his hand and refused to let go, afraid that if she did, she'd be all alone again.

* * *

"Okay, class," Mr. Kimoto said a moment after the bell rang for the day. Inuyasha sighed and ruffled his bangs. He'd finally come to class on time.

Rin had been acting weird lately. She'd been hesitant to leave his side. Well, that wasn't abnormal, per se, but she was more clingy than usual. Inuyasha was frustrated by the girl's refusal to release his leg earlier that morning. But he'd taken to leaving the apartment early so that he could make it to school on time.

"Shinkanshi, are you even listening?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha blinked his eyes and glanced at his teacher. The man was sitting behind the desk and the class president and vice president were standing in front, holding a bag. "Uh, what?"

"That means no," the Japanese literature teacher said with a sigh. He rubbed his forehead. "Your seat changed."

"Uh, right." Inuyasha stood and moved to where he was directed.

The president nodded his head and drew another card from the bag. "Endo Miroku."

Inuyasha frowned again as he heard Miroku shuffle from his old seat once stationed behind Inuyasha only to move to the seat behind Inuyasha now. He sighed again. Wasn't the point of moving seats supposed to be for the purpose of changing who you sat with?

Miroku poked his back and Inuyasha could have hit him. "What?"

He turned around and gave Miroku a withered stare. Miroku continued to grin at him.

"So, Inuyasha," Miroku said, taking no mind of Inuyasha's sour expression. When had this stupid guy become familiar with him? Inuyasha was too lazy to correct him. Besides, being called 'Shinkanshi' by this loser was almost as bad as being called Inuyasha. "You busy this weekend? I thought we could hang out."

"I'm busy," Inuyasha said without a thought. Miroku frowned. "I have work."

"Oh right, you have a job," Miroku said with a snap of his fingers. "I forgot. Students don't usually have jobs over the school year."

"Yeah, well, I'm different, now aren't I?" Inuyasha said angrily, his eyebrows furrowing.

Why was Miroku always so eager to talk and sit with him? Inuyasha hadn't done anything to make Miroku feel welcome, but the boy persisted. Inuyasha didn't trust the boy's advances. He rarely trusted anyone. They were all out to get him, in the end.

"I wasn't saying it was a bad thing," Miroku explained with a wave of his hand. "I was just saying…"

Miroku trailed off and shrugged, laughing softly.

The conversation came to a bitter halt when Inuyasha saw Kagome sit down in the chair across from his. He swiveled his head to stare at her and gave her an excellent impression of a fish. Kagome situated herself then turned her head to look at him, looking rather bemused by his jaw-drop expression.

"Hey," Miroku whispered, noticing his new friend's expression. "What the heck are you doing?"

Inuyasha snapped his attention forward. "Nothing."

* * *

"Hey, I'm going to get some bread from the cafeteria," Miroku said after poking Inuyasha's back to get his attention. Inuyasha scowled at the means of alerting him of Miroku's presence. "Want me to get you one?"

"Sure," Inuyasha muttered.

"What kind?"

"I don't care," Inuyasha said with a shrug. When he noticed that Miroku wasn't taking that as a suitable answer, Inuyasha relinquished. "Fine, uh… Get me a yakisoba bread, I guess."

"I'm on it!" Miroku declared, walked two feet, and then stopped in his tracks. "Sango, my darling."

Inuyasha turned his head to see Kagome, Sango, and Kagome's other close friend, Ayame. Sango, the tall girl sitting beside Kagome, glanced up at Inuyasha's annoyer and gave him a rather blank look.

"Yeah?" Sango asked, giving Miroku a look that could have rivaled Inuyasha's looks. "What do you want?"

"I am on a mission to the cafeteria and wanted to know if my darling little flower would like some bread?" Miroku said dramatically, wrapping his arm around Sango's shoulder only to see Sango shove him away.

"Firstly, I'm not your little flower," Sango said with an angered sigh. "And secondly, if you keep standing there, all the bread will be gone and you won't have anything for your lunch."

"I'd like one, Miroku," Kagome said after Sango's little speech and Miroku's stricken expression. Inuyasha wondered vaguely why it was that Kagome and Miroku were so informal with one another. No 'Endo-Kun' this or 'Endo-Kun' that. Inuyasha personally hated being called 'Shinkanshi-Kun'. It made him sound old, or something. He didn't like formalities.

"Of course, my sweet cousin, I'd do anything for you!" Miroku gushed, undaunted by Sango's letdown. Well, that explained the informality. They were related. He could see the resemblance now that it was pointed out. They both had blue eyes, something rather unique. "What kind?"

Kagome smiled sweetly at her cousin. "Curry bread, if it's around."

"Right-o!" Miroku said with a mock salute and scurried out of the room.

He returned a short while later, holding three breads—one for him, one for Kagome, and one for Inuyasha. Inuyasha stared out the window, watching the birds flutter through the ever-approaching summer air. He wished he could fly away.

"Here you are, Kagome," Miroku said and handed his cousin curry bread. "And for my darling Sango—"

"I am _not_ your 'darling' anything, Endo," Sango said stubbornly and watched as Miroku waved a bread in her face.

"I got you yakisoba bread," Miroku half-sang half-told Sango. Inuyasha snapped his head around and glared angrily at Miroku's back. That was his bread.

Inuyasha stood up and stalked over to the three girls and the suspected moron among them. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and slouched as he moved over, faking nonchalance. He moved over to the girls and Miroku.

"Isn't that my bread?" Inuyasha asked and Miroku snapped his head around, surprised to see Inuyasha actually standing there behind him. He held out his hand and Miroku hesitantly placed it in his. He didn't want to face the rumored wrath of Inuyasha. No one at school had actually seen him, full out, lose his temper but there were astounding rumors about him. No one came out and said it, but if someone asked, it would be surprising the amount of tall tales there were about Inuyasha Shinkanshi.

Sango rolled her eyes. "I said I didn't want any, anyway, Endo."

"Thanks, Miroku," Kagome said, smiling, before biting into her curry bread. Inuyasha stalked away back to his desk and silently watched them. "Oh, I've got to go."

Inuyasha watched as Kagome packed up her things and nodded to the teacher. She left the room, shutting the door behind her. Inuyasha watched her back and wondered where it was she disappeared to.

Miroku sat down in his chair with a sigh. Inuyasha turned around to face him—partially because he didn't want to be poked in the back and partially because he wanted to ask about Kagome. Miroku was his cousin, surely he'd know, right?

"Oy," Inuyasha said with a frown. "Where does Kagome go?"

"Hm?" Miroku glanced up. "Oh, she left already? Didn't even see her."

That didn't really answer his question. He bit into his yakisoba bread bitterly, feeling his brows furrow more than usual. He wasn't sure why it was he cared so much where Kagome went anyways. He'd seen her leave class several times lately, but obviously they never talked about it. They were hardly on speaking terms. And she still called him damned 'Shinkanshi-Kun'.

"Kagome's mighty pretty, isn't she?" Miroku said with a laugh and elbowed Inuyasha suggestively. Inuyasha shoved the boy's elbow away, feeling his cheeks beginning to burn. "You can admit it to me, we're among friends here."

"Keh," Inuyasha snorted softly. He had no friends. He had no use for friends. "She's not pretty."

"Are you blind?" Miroku looked stunned. "I think she's beautiful."

"She's your cousin," Inuyasha said, disgusted.

"Yeah, but if I wasn't. Damn," Miroku whistled low and shook his head in disbelief. "I would be one happy camper."

Inuyasha gave him a rather sickened look.

"Obviously I wouldn't do anything," Miroku defended, noticing Inuyasha's look. "She _is_ my cousin, after all. Besides, my heart belongs to my darling Sango. Right Sango?"

"Shut up, Endo," Sango returned. Miroku had raised his voice only for the last sentence and Sango had only heard the last part. She was reluctant to agree to something she didn't even know about—especially coming from Miroku.

Miroku sighed and turned his attention back towards Inuyasha. He jabbed a thumb behind him. "One day, I'll get her. You just got to be persistent, right?"

"Whatever you say," Inuyasha said uneasily.

"Anyways," Miroku leaned in closer, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. "You can tell me, Inuyasha. Do you have a crush on my cousin?"

"What?" Inuyasha's face turned pink. "_No_."

Miroku shrugged his shoulders. "Because I wouldn't blame you if you did. She's got a killer body. And have you _seen_ her boobs?"

Inuyasha was thoroughly disgusted now. He did not want to talk about Kagome like this, and certainly _not_ with her cousin initiating the discussion in the first place. This was wrong on so many levels.

"No," Inuyasha said firmly.

"What are you, gay? How can you _not_ look at those things? They're gigantic," Miroku supplied, his eyes glowing. "But not as great as my darling Sango's." He raised his voice, "Right Sango?"

"Shut up, Endo," Sango repeated.

Miroku seemed undaunted by Sango's multiple shot downs. He'd done it many times before and it had simply become routine for him.

"Kagome's a bitch," Inuyasha said firmly to Miroku. He crossed his arms.

Miroku frowned. "I'll admit that she has a bit of a bite to her… but it's not really her fault. She's actually a very sweet girl, ya know? She's caring and understanding. You just have to get under her hard shell…"

Inuyasha snorted.

"Besides, this is coming from you," Miroku pressed and his eyes twinkled mischievously. "And you're an ass, to be quite frank."

"Keh, I know that," Inuyasha snapped, eating the last of his yakisoba bread and wishing he had more to eat.

"I'm surprised that Kagome can still be cheerful after what she's been through," Miroku said with a shrug.

Inuyasha was curious now. "What?"

"Kagome goes home because she needs to watch Abi-San," Miroku said shortly, his lips pursing and his eyes glowing with distaste—the first time Inuyasha had ever seen something so intense in the boy's eyes. The first time Inuyasha had ever seen Miroku look serious.

"Abi…? Who is she, the dog?"

"No," Miroku laughed, the dangerous look in his eyes disappearing. "Well… not technically. Kagome would much prefer a dog, I'm sure. Abi-San is Kagome's father's fiancée. They're getting married soon, after years of being together. They're expecting their first child, too."

"So?"

"It's just that… the way they met and ended up together. Kagome doesn't like it. She has to go home and watch Abi because her swollen ankles won't let her move around a lot. And with Kagome's father working late hours, it's up to Kagome. Usually the father will work from home and can take care of his future wife himself, but sometimes Kagome has to leave and take care of her. And she hates it."

"Oh," Inuyasha said, stupidly. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Yeah, Kagome used to have a job at the grocery store down near her home, and she really enjoyed it, too. But her father made her quit that job because it interfered with her taking care of her future step-mother." Miroku frowned. "And Abi is not the nicest lady around, let me tell you. I don't really interact with her a lot… since my mom was Kagome's mom's sister. We aren't really involved with the family, sans Kagome."

"Why not?" Inuyasha asked, blinking.

Miroku sighed and rubbed his temples. "Kagome's father cut off all relations to our side of the family."

"How come?" Inuyasha wondered why it was he was so damned curious.

Miroku bit into his bread before continuing. "Because Kagome's mother's dead."

Inuyasha hadn't expected that. He blinked slowly and stared at Miroku's desk dumbly as the boy silently ate, allowing the information to sink in. He pursed his lips. Kagome's mother died?

"Kagome's father… hated our family," Miroku said sadly. "He cut off all times when his wife died."

"How did she…?"

"It's not really my place to say," Miroku interrupted. "I've already told you a lot. You should bring it up with Kagome. After all, she works for you, doesn't she?"

"She's my babysitter.?"

"Oh, you need a babysitter, huh?" Miroku joked.

"Shut up," Inuyasha snapped, frowning as Miroku started laughing. "She watches my little cousin while I work."

"Yeah. I'm surprised that her father let her keep that job. Probably because you pay so well," Miroku said with a shrug. Inuyasha eyed him. "Yeah, I know how much you pay her. I spotted a check to her from you the other day. You're totally loaded, aren't you? In any case, I suspect that Abi and her dad have her give them some of the money. They're not… very good parents."

"What do you mean?"

"Her father means well, I'm sure. But he's just got… skewed priorities. I feel sorry for Kagome sometimes. She doesn't deserve what she gets," Miroku said with a tired sigh.

The bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period.

"We better get going. We've got PE next," Miroku supplied, glancing down at his schedule. The schedule changed every day and it could get rather confusing. The only plus side was that the weekly schedule stayed the same, even if the days didn't. Same with their homeroom. "Come on, I'll be your partner."

Inuyasha sighed. It looked like he was stuck with Miroku whether he liked it or not. "Sure, come on."

Sometimes he wondered why it was that Miroku actually wanted to be his friend in the first place. They were both odd birds, he supposed. Or maybe Miroku just liked abuse—if Sango was any indication.

* * *

"I'm back," Inuyasha said later that Thursday night. He opened the door and removed his shoes.

"Welcome back," Kagome told him once he got close enough for her soft voice to reach him. She held Rin, the said girl sleeping soundly in her arms. She stood up with some hesitation and her knees nearly buckled under the weight of Rin. "How was work?"

"Alright," Inuyasha grumbled and dropped his keys and wallet on the table with a small thump. "It could have been worse."

He moved towards Kagome and the said girl raised her eyes to meet him. She shifted Rin in her arms and watched as Inuyasha held his arms out. She stared at him and felt her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Shinkanshi-Kun?"

"Let me take her," Inuyasha clarified and Kagome gratefully passed Rin onto Inuyasha. Inuyasha held Rin easily in his strong arms and shifted her so her head lolled against his shoulder. Rin murmured in her sleep.

"She wanted to stay up to meet you," Kagome explained. "She fell asleep a little over a half hour ago. I didn't have the heart to move her. She seemed comfortable."

"Hm," Inuyasha said with a thoughtful frown and jerked his head towards the door. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

"You don't need to do that, Shinkanshi-Kun."

"Like hell I do," Inuyasha said with a snort. "I'm not letting you walk home in the dark again. Get your shoes on, come on."

They walked in silence. The trip down the street towards Kagome's house seemed long and tense. Kagome clutched her jacket to her as the wind blew soundly and she shivered. Inuyasha wrapped a coat around Rin's quivering, sleeping body (he hadn't wanted to leave her alone in the house, just in case she woke up) and continued moving.

"Shinkanshi-Kun," Kagome began.

"You don't have to call me that, you know," Inuyasha said stubbornly, refusing to meet her gaze. He stared out towards the horizon like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. No stars dotted the sky—drowned out by the innumerous lights of the city. But in the distance the moon glowed brightly over the mountains.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, confused. Her brows furrowed.

"Shinkanshi-Kun makes me sound old… or something… I don't know," Inuyasha pursed his lips as he spoke. "You don't need to call me that. Inuyasha's just fine. Like I give a damn about formalities."

"I guess that's true," Kagome said uneasily, feeling raw form the conversation. "I just thought that…"

"I don't care either way," Inuyasha said defensively. "I'm just saying that you don't have to feel obligated to be all formal around me, after all."

"I see," Kagome said, unease still in her voice. She lifted her head and smiled at him. "Okay, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha decided then and there that he liked her calling him Inuyasha better than Shinkanshi-Kun.

* * *

_Author's notes:_ A Yankee is what a punk or a troublemaker is called in Japan; someone in a gang, usually. 


	8. Chapter 8: Stars in the Sky

**Daughters  
Chapter Eight: Stars in the Sky**

* * *

"Come on, she still doesn't have any money," the third boy said with a sigh. Rin had taken to calling them first, second, and third boy, since she didn't dare ask their names. The third boy was typically the nicest to her and usually the one that called off the first boy whenever they came to the playground after school.

The first boy pulled away and looked solely disappointed. "You'd better have some money by the time we get back here tomorrow."

Rin whimpered as the boys stalked away. She sat in the mud created from the rain earlier that day. She felt sticky and dirty. Despite the third boy's kindness, he never actually did anything to stop the other boy's antics. For several days now she'd been found by Inuyasha in the dirt.

"Hey." Speak of the devil.

Rin looked up at her cousin as he came into the schoolyard. Why was he always late? Why couldn't he see that she was getting hurt by the boys? Her elbow throbbed from where she'd hit the ground hard.

"Why are you always in the dirt when I get here? I'm getting tired of doing your laundry all the live-long day," Inuyasha said grumpily, but offered his hand to Rin anyway.

Rin hesitantly took it and let Inuyasha haul her to her feet. They began their long trek home and Rin refused to release Inuyasha's hand. She felt secure with him there. She knew that no one could touch her as long as her cousin was by her side.

She gripped his hand tightly and walked closer to him. "Inu-oniichan…?"

"What?" Inuyasha asked, glancing down at the girl with a discontented face.

Rin lost her nerve. "Nothing. Sorry."

Inuyasha glanced down at her again, his eyebrows knitted into a thoughtful expression. Rin didn't say anything else the rest of the trip home. She'd been acting weird lately. He wasn't sure why it was. He couldn't just go out and ask her, because that would have been weird and he doubted that Rin would answer him if he did ask her.

They reached home and Rin quickly went about making some drawings at the kitchen table. Kagome had bought her new crayons and she was happily breaking them in. She pressed lightly, so that she wouldn't break the crayons her sister-figure had given her.

"She'll be here soon," Inuyasha said to Rin, checking his watch. He hadn't seen her since yesterday. She hadn't been at school that day. Miroku told him that he was still watching her stepmother. The conversation he'd had with Miroku when he first learned about Kagome's family situation still rang clear in his mind.

As if beckoned by his words, a knock sounded at the door, alerting Kagome's presence. Inuyasha moved towards it and opened it, allowing the girl to come inside.

Miroku's words still whispered in his ear.

Now that he looked… he had to admit that Kagome did have very nice…

'_Hair. She has nice hair. Her hair is _neat_. Her hair. Hair.'_

Inuyasha felt his entire face turn red at such thoughts. He was going to kill Miroku for making him actually look at Kagome in that way. He was not some stupid pervert like he was. He hated to admit that Miroku wasn't relinquishing his hold on Inuyasha and Miroku had taken him to saying 'my friend' at the end of every sentence whenever he talked to Inuyasha.

So, he had a friend. A perverted, stupid, and annoying friend. But a friend.

It was weird. He'd gone through life so long without a friend. Kagome's words of wanting to be his friend returned to him and he remembered telling her that he didn't need friends.

Well, he still didn't need them.

But having them wasn't _too_ bad.

* * *

"Rin, don't go too far," Kagome called after Rin who played with one of her friends from kindergarten. The child's parents sat on the other side of the park, so that the adults could watch from a different vantage point and keep the children from wandering away.

Inuyasha watched Rin play with the other little girl for a long while, refusing to look at Kagome who sat behind him quietly, her own blue eyes following Rin's movements. He'd just gotten off work to meet Kagome and Rin, but Kagome hadn't left yet. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"She really is very cute," Kagome said beside Inuyasha and the boy felt his head jerk into the tiniest of nods. "She's been acting a bit strange, though."

"You noticed, too?" Inuyasha finally spoke, turning his head to look at Kagome and the said girl nodded.

"She's a little skittish," Kagome said with pursed lips, her eyebrows knitting together. "Did something happen to make her skirt away from people?"

Inuyasha glared at her. "I'm not hitting her, if that's what you're thinking."

"I never said that," Kagome said defensively and shook her head. "I meant that did she fall down and hurt herself? More so than usual, anyways."

"Uh," Inuyasha thought. "The other day she had a cut on her elbow. But, it looked shallow. She hasn't complained about anything either."

Kagome smoothed the ruffles in her springy skirt. The light blue material ruffled in the early night breeze. She was concentrating solely on Rin at that moment and didn't notice anything else. Her loyalty for Rin was remarkable. It was hard to find a reliable babysitter nowadays (or so Inuyasha had heard) and Inuyasha was incredibly thankful for Kagome, though he wouldn't ever be caught dead saying it.

"It's getting dark," Inuyasha said idly, tipping his head back towards where the moon was making its appearance.

"I love night," Kagome said firmly.

"Even though—" Inuyasha began but Kagome sent him a death glare that silenced him. Yes, she loved night, even though she was attacked by that man at night.

"Night is comforting."

"It's dark. Things hide in the dark."

"Things can hide in the light, too," Kagome said gently, staring at her feet and toying with the hem of her skirt, flipping it over her fingers and back over her knees. "Things can hide no matter what."

"I guess so," Inuyasha said, feeling a bit uncomfortable with Kagome's seemingly philosophical words.

They basked in silence, neither looking at one another and the awkwardness between them nearly tangible. She swallowed slowly and watched as Rin played on the swings with her friend. The parents on the other side of the park yawned and the wife rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

Inuyasha stared at the disappearing sun as it dipped away below the horizon, painting the sky a dark blue and black. The moon glowed in the sky, as if suspended by a single string.

"I love looking at the stars," Kagome said, a hint of sadness in her voice, though her face betrayed nothing. She stared up at the moon, and the light reflected in her eyes.

Inuyasha stared at her a moment before ripping his gaze away towards the trees dotting the park. The green grass bent away from the night breeze.

"There are no stars," Inuyasha said. "The light pollution from Tokyo hides them."

"I believe the stars will come out someday," Kagome said with a smile on her lips.

"Yeah, when the electricity goes out everywhere in the city," Inuyasha said bitterly, staring up at the starless night sky.

"At least you know they're there. They never go away."

"Unless they die," Inuyasha said sarcastically.

"The stars are so far away. When I was young—we didn't live in Tokyo—I would look up at the sky and think that someday I was going to be an astronaut and go there, to see the stars. I even persuaded my mom to take me to space camp one year. But… I would look up at the stars at night and reach out my hand, like they were just little dots and I could scoop them out of the sky."

She demonstrated by reaching out her hand and gripping the empty night air. She smiled, and her smile looked sad.

"The stars hide themselves under the hustle of this city, afraid to let themselves be seen. But maybe someday they'll come back," Kagome said and sighed. "Maybe they'll reappear and light up someone's world."

"Kagome…"

Kagome ignored him and kept smiling as her eyes reflected the unearthly glow of the moon. "When I look at the stars, I feel… I don't know. I guess I'm getting all philosophical over the stars for no particular reason."

She dropped her hand into her lap and smiled down at her knees shyly, her cheeks painted a light pink—but it could have been from the cold of the Tokyo night. She dipped her head, her black bangs covering her eyes and spilling over her shoulder, dusting over her chest and swaying in the breeze.

"Maybe someday," she repeated and fell silent.

Inuyasha watched her, his curiosity peaking with her words.

'_She looks so lonely,'_ he realized before he could stop himself. _'Empty.'_

She lifted her gaze again, her blue eyes shining. She forced a smile on her lips, replacing the indescribably lonely one. She stared at the sky, but her forced smile was just as bad as her raw, lonely one.

"I suppose," Kagome said, finally breaking her gaze from the sky to look at him. "It will be a long time before they appear again. But when they do… they'll light up the night sky."

Her blue eyes had an uncanny tendency to stare at him like she was looking into his soul. He turned his face away quickly, feeling his cheeks turn a bright pink from the attention he was receiving. He didn't like it when people looked at him, especially when it was someone with such lonely eyes.

'_When the stars light up the sky, maybe she'll be happy,'_ he thought before he could stop himself. He quickly shook his head. What the hell was he doing thinking such things? He didn't know Kagome and Kagome certainly didn't know him. Sure, she wanted to be his friend, but he sure as hell wasn't someone worth befriending. That was just a fact of life.

Kagome deserved happiness, especially when she looked so empty. She deserved to smile. Why was he thinking stuff like this? He hadn't ever thought like this before, and he certainly didn't want to start.

"Kagome…"

Kagome laughed quietly and turned her head to look at him, her eyes warm. "You said my name."

"Keh," he said softly. "Don't get used to it. It's such much easier to just call you 'girl' or whatever."

Kagome didn't say anything, she just silently looked at him.

"Don't take this as an act of kindness or anything," he continued stubbornly. He crossed his arms and slouched on the park bench, stretching out his legs and resting his head on the backside of the bench.

"I just thought that maybe you wanted to be a bit friendlier, that's all," Kagome said with a shrug, but didn't seem bothered by it. She didn't seem to get angry with him anymore.

"Why don't you get angry with me anymore?" Inuyasha asked, voicing his thoughts.

Kagome blinked and looked at the slouching boy. She tucked her legs beneath the bench and turned to look at him. "Do you want me to be angry with you?"

"What? No!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I mean, I don't care. I was just wondering, that's all."

"When I got mad at you," Kagome said, stretching out her hands and pulling on her knees. "You got angry right back and were very rude. But I could tell you were upset. Even though you're mean to people, you don't like others being mean to you."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed; there was no tone of mockery or accusation in her words, but he got the distinct feeling that Kagome was building herself up onto a pedestal and trying to make herself superior to him. But, then again, it could have just been his diluted mind.

"I decided that I wanted to be kind to you," Kagome said and smiled brightly at him, her blue eyes glimmering; there were no longer any traces of loneliness in her eyes. "I wanted to show you that not everyone hates you."

Inuyasha's frown deepened. "You don't?"

Kagome shook her head. "No. I want to be your friend."

"Keh," he muttered softly, turning his head away. "Do what you like. I don't care."

Kagome turned her attention back towards Rin, her face a bright red. But she was smiling.

* * *

"Can I have money?" Rin asked, her eyes wide.

"What?" Inuyasha asked dully, blinking slowly. He was so tired. Taking care of Rin, going to school, and working extra hours was really getting him down. He seemed to always be tired, now.

"Money for… milk," Rin said after some hesitation. Inuyasha frowned deeply.

"Your school doesn't have a cafeteria. You don't need money," he said with an offhanded shrug. He stood up and kicked the blankets from him as he moved away from his futon. He left his room just as messy as ever and exited the room, going to the bathroom.

"Please?" Rin asked earnestly, tugging on Inuyasha's pajama leg. Inuyasha shook his head.

Rin hoisted herself up on the counter and watched as Inuyasha brushed his teeth, shaved, and combed his hair. She kept peppering him with an occasional, but still earnest 'please' only to have it thrown back at her with Inuyasha's refusal.

"Why do you need money so much?" he asked as he cleaned his razor. He needed to buy a new one, the one he had now was getting dull. He turned to look at Rin and crossed his arms, leaning against the counter that held the sink.

"Milk," Rin said quietly. "We don't have a lunchroom… but we have a milk machine."

"I give you juice in your lunch," Inuyasha said stubbornly and inspected his face in the mirror, searching for a place he hadn't gotten shaving. He wrinkled his nose and nodded his head silently, his inspection complete.

"I like milk."

"Then I'll buy you milk for your lunch from now on," Inuyasha said with a shrug. "Look, the answer is no."

Rin left the bathroom, looking defeated and upset. Inuyasha sighed.

Why did Rin suddenly want milk? He'd never even seen her drink any milk and he had a fairly large carton in the refrigerator.

As they set out for the day, Inuyasha found himself slipping some yen into Rin's lunchbox, so she wouldn't notice until lunchtime. He'd be damned if he let Rin get all hyper and happy about some money before he was well out of sight.

* * *

Rin shook in the breeze as the tiny wind pushed against her goose-pimpled skin. She'd forgotten her jacket. She gripped the money Inuyasha had given her and looked around, unsure of whether or not the boys would appear. But she knew they would. They'd been showing up for the last few days, now that she gave them money.

She swallowed and felt guilty for lying to her cousin. He thought that he was buying her milk, but, instead he was buying her a lesser beating. She wished she could tell him, but she was afraid. What if he didn't believe her?

She heard the three boys' voices from a couple blocks away and Rin felt fear grip her again. She didn't want to have to give them money and then get pushed around. At least now that she had money they didn't do it as long or as hard. Maybe they'd get tired and leave her alone eventually. She didn't like Yankees, she decided.

As their voices drew closer, Rin felt a sudden impulse grip her and she ran away as fast as her little legs would carry her. She ran around to the back of the schoolhouse and climbed under the fence and into the street. The boys' voices were distant and now but Rin didn't stop, she ran as fast as she could in the direction towards her home.

Inuyasha moved down the street, his hands stuffed into his pockets, trying to move quickly without looking earnest to get there. Because he really wasn't. He weaved between pedestrians, more relaxed then them but in a much greater hurry.

He was late again. He had a terrible habit of being late. Rin's teachers would have surely slaughtered him had they the chance. He was forcing them to stay after. According to them, they refused to leave until he appeared because they didn't want another disappearing routine.

When he got there however, it was Inuyasha's turn to want to slaughter someone.

"Rin!" he called, his voice rising higher than usual as he searched around for her. The schoolyard was once again deserted and the windows were dark and empty.

Yeah, he was going to kill those women.

"Rin!" he called again, circling the schoolhouse several times in search of the girl. Rin had been acting weird, but he knew that the girl would not purposefully ignore her calls. "Damn it!"

He cursed several times and darted back to the front of the school, knocking into three boys making their exit.

Inuyasha nearly crashed into them in his haste and the boys drew themselves up, trying to look as tough as possible before the older, obviously non-Yankee, high school student. But as they inspected Inuyasha, they could see he was not to be trifled with. With the summer uniform on, they could see his arm muscles and his furrowed brow suggested someone who was in a rather sour mood.

He didn't apologize for crashing into them and the boys didn't demand one. They didn't dare mess with someone as angry looking as he was.

"Oy! Have you guys seen a little girl with a stupid little ponytail on the side of her head?" Inuyasha demanded, frightening the three boys as they backed away. They knew who this must be and for one moment they feared that they were about to be beaten.

Was this that little girl's father? He was young. A brother maybe?

They didn't care. All they knew was that if he found out who they were, they'd be in serious trouble.

"N-no sir. We haven't," the third boy said, giving the older man a slight bow. Inuyasha didn't return it, nor did he answer, as he'd already turned away.

"Then get the hell out of my way," he commanded and the boys were eager to agree, quick to get out of sight form the obvious protector of that little girl they'd been stealing money from.

Inuyasha didn't notice the boys' skittish behavior, nor did he care.

"Damn it! Not again!" Inuyasha told the sky as he ran down the street, going directly towards the park he'd found Rin last time. He hoped beyond hope that Rin would be there.

His first thought was to check the park where Rin went to before, and he quickly darted in that direction, his legs screaming at the amount of running he was doing. But he didn't care. He had to find Rin. Not _only_ would his grandfather and aunt kill him, but now the added on danger of being killed by Rin's teachers, Rin's friends, and Kagome weighed on him. He didn't want a damned lecture from them.

He reached the park and searched around, grasping children's shoulders and jerking them away; inspecting them to make sure it wasn't Rin before running along before worried parents could scold Inuyasha for his harsh and pedophilic behavior.

This process continued as Inuyasha ran to every park in the area, searching for Rin and her stupid little ponytail on the side of her head. He asked anyone he crashed into, but no one had seen her. Inuyasha was growing rather agitated and tired.

She wasn't at any of the parks. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose and turned on his heel, shouting Rin's name one last time before running back towards his house. Maybe Rin had gone home by herself?

But that idea was proved wrong as soon as he reached his apartment and found that Rin was nowhere to be found.

He leaned over and placed his hands on his knees, panting as he felt sweat roll down the back of his shirt. He snarled at the disgusting feeling of his uniform sticking to his body, but he had to find Rin. Even if he ruptured a lung in the process.

After regaining a second wind, Inuyasha ran down the flights of stairs that led up to his apartment—he didn't want to wait for the elevator—and moved out into the street.

Where would Rin go, anyway? Inuyasha tried to think. If she wasn't at any of the parks, and she wasn't at his house… then where could she possibly be?

Inuyasha's face jerked up as a thought struck him. He remembered what Rin had said the last time she'd disappeared. She'd wanted to go home. She'd wanted to see her mom again. Inuyasha remembered where Mari used to live. He'd visited her house multiple times when he was younger. Mari had adored him and treated him like her own son, but she hadn't had the ability to take care of him at the time—hence why he was never formally adopted by Mari and her family. She was too young at the time and didn't understand what it meant to be a mother. That's what his grandfather told him. He'd never known if there were other reasons or not.

He raced down the streets, undusting the long-lost memory of Mari's address. It wasn't too far from the kindergarten and he knew that that was where Rin would go to if she had no other place to go. He scolded himself for not thinking of it sooner.

With the destination in mind and some air to breathe, Inuyasha moved faster, wishing to reach Rin before darkness fell.

* * *

Rin remembered what it was like to come home to this house. She'd never have to wait at the schoolyard. Her mother would be the first there and she'd greet Rin with open arms and a wide smile. Rin would dive into her mother's arms and laugh because she was happy. She was happy with her mom.

They'd come home and the house would be cozy and warm. No one would disturb them. When her father was alive, he'd come home after her mother started preparing dinner and she was happy. She could barely remember her father. But she remembered her mother.

Her mother was warm. Her mother would smile. Her mother would hug her. Her mother would tell her that she loved her.

Now, Rin sat on the stairs leading up to an empty house, dark as the night. No sounds came from it. No delicious smells wafted from it. No one was there to greet her. No one hugged her. No one kissed her. No one smiled at her.

Perhaps a small part of her had hoped that she'd come home and her mom would be waiting for her there. Perhaps a small part of her hoped that she'd come home soon. Perhaps…

Rin ducked her head, feeling a solitary tear roll from her eye. She wanted to see her mom again.

Dead was so final. Death was something that Rin couldn't grasp. Her mother had gone away. Her mother was never returning. But there was still a small flame of hope in Rin's chest that prayed and longed for the return of her mother.

"Rin! I knew you would be here," Inuyasha said as the darkness engulfed the city. Sure enough, Rin sat on the stoop of a dark, empty house. She looked at Inuyasha with a stricken expression, as if she'd been expecting to spend the night here and not find Inuyasha until the next morning.

He ran up to her and panted, his entire body feeling fatigued. He'd run the entire afternoon and now it was night. He was tired before such an ordeal, on top of that.

Now that he stopped, he could tell that his legs were going to burn for the rest of his life. His muscles weren't used to such long exercises and they were not pleased with the amount of running he'd had to endure, especially with improper shoes.

Rin sniffled, her large brown eyes spilling over with her tears. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

Inuyasha waited for his breath to return to him. Save for Rin's small, sporadic sobs and Inuyasha's deep, heavy pants, there was no sound in the quiet neighborhood. Inuyasha looked at the empty house and felt as if a tiny hole appeared in his heart. He remembered this house. He used to spend every New Years there until he was fourteen. He'd stopped coming after that and spent the time with his grandfather, instead.

"Come on, Rin, let's go," Inuyasha said and offered her hand once he could breathe and speak properly again.

Rin pushed it away. "No!"

"No?" Inuyasha repeated, confused. He stared at Rin like she'd just bitten him.

Rin shook her head and ducked her face, not wishing to see Inuyasha's stricken expression. Rin mumbled something to her knees then jerked her head up, her eyes firmly closed.

"I want my mommy!" her voice cracked and echoed in the silent courtyard of the forgotten house.

"Rin…" Inuyasha said uneasily. He inched towards her.

"Go away!" Rin cried out harshly, her head ducking again. "Go away! I want my mommy! I miss Mommy!"

Inuyasha moved to her side and sat down. She pushed him away, her hands shaking as she struggled against his far larger bulk. She sobbed and her hand slipped. Her forehead pressed against his bicep before she jerked away and cried out again.

"Go away," she repeated, wishing that he would just listen and leave her in peace. "I want my mommy!"

She continued to push, struggling and struggling but refusing to give up.

After almost half a minute of this, Inuyasha inched away and grabbed Rin's hands, his larger and harder palms encasing Rin's tiny little fingertips in his. She continued to cry and didn't look up at him.

Silently, he handed her the jacket she'd forgotten that morning and forced her arms into it, forcing it onto her slim, shivering body. Rin continued to cry and didn't thank him.

Inuyasha sighed and ran an uneasy hand through his hair.

"I miss my mom, too, sometimes," Inuyasha finally said and felt like a fool for saying it. He hadn't admitted it to anyone. It had always made him feel weak and useless. But he remembered his promise to never let Rin cry again.

Rin stopped mid-hiccup and lifted her head, staring up at him in shock. "You… do?" she questioned her eyes wide. "Inu-oniichan misses his mommy, too?"

Inuyasha nodded his head and exhaled noisily. "I lost my mom, too. And I miss her."

Rin hiccupped and nodded her head. "I miss mine."

"But I also know," Inuyasha continued, daring to lift his hand and let it float to Rin's head. He patted her soft hair, the brown tuffs sticking to his hand with static electricity before falling back to their proper place. "I know that your mom wouldn't want you to be sad. She loves you, Rin, and she always will. But she doesn't want you to be sad. Not because of her."

'_I'm such a hypocrite,'_ Inuyasha thought bitterly, recalling his mother's image in his mind's eye. His mother had only seen him miserable.

Rin's bottom lip quivered. "Inu-oniichan."

"Come on, Rin," Inuyasha said standing. "Are you ready to come back?"

Rin looked at the hand her cousin offered her and then back up at him, tears spilling from her eyes. She nodded her head meekly and extended her own hand, gripping his firmly and never relinquishing her grip.

"Let's go home," Rin said, and sniffled.

Inuyasha nodded his head and began walking. In the distance, Inuyasha almost swore he saw a star… but it could have been a trick of the light or an airplane. Inuyasha didn't dwell on it.

Rin smiled hesitantly and Inuyasha nodded his head, pulling Rin along in what anyone else would have called tenderness.


	9. Chapter 9: Smile

Daughters  
Chapter Nine: **Smile**

* * *

"Thank _God_, it's almost Friday," Miroku moaned as he stretched his arms above his head, across his desk, over Inuyasha's shoulders (until the boy shoved them away), and to the ground. "I am tired"!

Inuyasha didn't respond, just gave Miroku a blank look and tapped his pencil against his desk. "But you'll have to go to school again on Monday. And there's still two days before the weekend."

"Don't you dare spoil my fun, you jerk," Miroku defended and sighed, tipping his head back to the ceiling. "We only have three periods after this until we can go home."

"Yep, and then we get to come back the next day," Inuyasha said with a shrug as he bit into the last of his lunch and threw the empty containers into his desk for safekeeping. "You must be beside yourself with joy."

"What's with that attitude?" Miroku lamented, throwing his arm out in a rather dramatic gesture as he did a mock-gasp. "Aren't you excited for the weekend?"

"The thing I liked about the weekend was sleeping in." Inuyasha scrunched up his nose. "And I can't do that anymore."

"You can't sleep in?" Miroku questioned.

"My cousin," Inuyasha muttered with another one of his shrugs. "She doesn't like to sleep in."

"That sucks," Miroku said with a frown and glanced over Inuyasha's shoulder to grin at Sango and spout out some drabble about how she meant the world to him. As was routine, Sango either ignored him or shot back a comment about how she was no such thing.

"You'll never give up, will you?"

"Of course not," Miroku snorted. "Not until I have Sango in my arms." He shook his head and leaned in close to Inuyasha. "But I have something to ask you."

Inuyasha turned his head away, not liking the short proximity between Miroku and himself. He took a large gulp of his lemon tea.

"Have you slept with Kagome yet?" Miroku questioned suddenly.

Inuyasha choked and spat out his lemon tea right into Miroku's face.

"Oh God, that's so gross, Inuyasha," Miroku said, disgusted as he wiped the liquid off his face. "Was that really necessary?"

Inuyasha continued coughing and didn't answer Miroku, mostly because he couldn't, and pounded a fist against his chest to try and free his airway. Once he'd regained control of himself he whipped his head up and glared daggers at Miroku.

"God you got it right in my damn mouth!"

"What the hell kind of question was _that_?" Inuyasha demanded.

Miroku didn't answer him, as he was too preoccupied being grossed out by the lemon tea spraying in his face. He punctuated his disgusted moans with tiny 'I can't believe you did that's every so often.

"I have not slept with Kagome," Inuyasha growled out harshly. "I haven't done anything with Kagome because there's nothing for us _to_ do. She's my cousin's fucking babysitter, for Christ's sake. I have no feelings for her, at all."

"Ah," Miroku let this information digest as he ate the last of his own lunch and throwing the containers into his desk to pick up at the end of the day. "We've got PE next, should we head down there?"

Inuyasha followed after Miroku as the two exited the room to prepare for their PE period. They made it to the changing room and slipped inside. The majority of their male classmates were already in there, save for a few stragglers left in the classroom with the quickly diminishing girls (who were going to their changing room, too.)

"So?" Miroku questioned as he started changing. "How _are_ things with Kagome?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha grumped as he pulled off his shirt and threw on his PE top. "There's nothing between Kagome and me in the first place. How can there be things between us, anyhow? She's just my cousin's damned babysitter. I've told you this already. I've told you this everyday"

Miroku pursed his lips, completely unsatisfied with that answer. "How can you say that? Kagome's quite the catch."

"Shut up," Inuyasha mumbled, feeling his face turning red. "It doesn't matter to me."

"Liar," Miroku accused as he started tying the laces of his running shoes. "I bet you secretly want Kagome. I mean, it's hard not to with that body."

Inuyasha was getting uncomfortable. He always got uncomfortable whenever Miroku talked about his cousin like that; and that was quite frequently, he had to admit. "Cut it out. Not all of us are sex fiends, you know."

"Come on," Miroku threw his hands up in defeat. "You're a youthful teenaged boy. Of _course_ you're sex driven. And don't try to tell me you're not."

"Even if I was," Inuyasha snapped, clicking his locker shut and pulling on his shoes. "Like hell I'd tell you."

"You're blushing," Miroku sang out, fluttering around Inuyasha like this was the most exciting news ever. Inuyasha felt his eye twitch at the unnecessary attention he was receiving from the cling-on boy. "You _do _like Kagome."

"I do _not like_ Kagome," Inuyasha shot back, feeling his face turn even redder. "God damn it."

"You do."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"I am not having this conversation with you," Inuyasha said firmly and walked quickly away from Miroku. "I am not, I am not, I am not, I am not. I do not like Kagome. I never will. She's nothing to me except for a waste of cash."

"Whatever you say, my friend," Miroku sang behind him, a large smile on his face.

Inuyasha almost hated Miroku at that moment.

"Just admit that she's pretty!" Miroku said firmly, his face set in determination. "I'll never forgive you if you tell me my sweet little cousin is ugly."

"I'm not answering that," Inuyasha snarled.

"And since I know you don't care whether I'm friends with you or not," Miroku sang as he trailed after Inuyasha. They exited the sanctity of the changing room and made their way towards the gym. "You not wanting to answer means that you don't want to admit that you think Kagome's hot. Because if you thought she was ugly, you'd just say so."

Girls passing by him gave him small glares. They still remembered the way he'd treated Kagome before. And Miroku was infamous for his perverted ways around girls and their skirts. Inuyasha didn't care that they were glaring daggers at him. He couldn't have cared less, really.

"Fine, she's ugly," Inuyasha said, wishing that Miroku would just let the subject drop so that he could continue on with his life.

"You are such a liar!" Miroku exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of some of their classmates. Inuyasha's frown deepened and he glared daggers at Miroku.

"Stop it."

He turned to walk away towards the boy's group for PE.

"Admit it," Miroku pressed.

He snapped his head around and growled at Miroku. "Will you just drop it, for God's sake? Does everything have to be about sex with you?"

"I've got eyes, Inuyasha," Miroku said, looking up at the taller boy and grinning.

Inuyasha decided he hated Miroku at that moment.

* * *

Rin fell to the ground again and cried out, feeling her face clench in her pain. Her backside throbbed from where she'd hit the chained fence and then the puddle of mud. Her bottom lip quivered as she clenched her hands against her knees.

"Where's our money?" the first boy demanded, his face set in determination. The three boys were relying heavily on that money for their food and for junk that they didn't really need, and finding this little girl after school each day was starting to become a favorite routine.

Rin knew where the money was. It was in her pocket, but she didn't want to give it to them. She didn't want to make Inuyasha disappointed in her. And she knew that, the reason he hadn't saved her yet was because she hadn't stood up to herself enough, and she hadn't fought well enough against them. She wanted to make her cousin proud, and she would do anything for him at all costs.

"I don't have any," Rin said firmly, standing up with shaking legs. She was knocked back down into the mud.

"I thought," the first boy said, "I made it perfectly clear that you were to have money for us every day after school. So, where is it?"

"I don't have any," Rin repeated and clenched the chains in the fence to try and stand up. The boy pushed her against the metal and his hand wrapped around her throat to prevent any movement.

"I don't think you understand your situation, girl," the second boy said behind the first. The second boy rarely said anything, but he was always smiling manically behind his leader. The third boy, despite his stealing from her, too, was typically the most sympathetic of the three and called off the other two. But today, he kept his eyes down and refused to look at her.

The first boy raised his fist and whispered, "I'll give you one last chance. Where is your money?"

"I don't have any," Rin said, despite the fear trickling in her body. She would not relinquish her hold on her money. She would make Inuyasha proud of her. He'd pay attention to her if she proved her worth.

"Fine then," the first said and raised his fist higher to punch her.

The punch never came. Rin watched in awed horror as a larger, harder hand snapped out and grasped the boy's first before he could throw it and twist his arm behind his back. Rin blinked as the boy cried out in pain and released his hold on her. She thumped down into the dirt and watched as her cousin pinned the boy against the fence, pulling on his arm in a manner that would break it if he pushed against the elbow.

"Haven't you got anything better to do than to torment a helpless little girl?" Inuyasha hissed angrily as he pressed the boy harder against the chained fence.

He heard footsteps behind him and snapped his head around, glaring at the other two boys. They froze in their tracks.

"If you think that I have morals and wouldn't kick a bunch of middle schoolers' asses, then you're very mistaken. Get the fuck away from Rin. Now."

The two boys obeyed and backed quickly away from Inuyasha, their eyes wide with fear. Inuyasha pushed the boy he held harder against the fence.

"So. Why have you been harassing Rin?" Inuyasha questioned, his voice dangerously soft and quiet. Rin shook, afraid of her cousin's expression.

The boy didn't answer. He simply whimpered from the pain.

"Why?" Inuyasha snapped, louder this time. He shoved the boy against the linked fence, grinding the boy's face into the metal. The boy whimpered painfully.

Inuyasha snarled and released the boy. With a shove, he sent the first boy flying towards the other two. The second boy caught him and helped him get to his feet. They shrunk under the deadly shadow of Inuyasha as the boy stalked up to them.

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles advancing on the boys. He continued moving, backing the boys into the fence again. He towered over them, his expression everything they feared he would be. They'd pressed their luck. He was here. He was here to take revenge.

Knuckles popped and Inuyasha growled darkly, his eyes narrowed and his body rigid.

"Ready to get a taste of your own medicine?" Inuyasha snarled angrily.

He felt a tug on his pant leg. He paused and looked down. Rin stared back up at him, her brown eyes large and watery.

Silently, she gazed at him, her eyes silently judging him. For she had such a peculiar way of staring into his eyes as if she were gazing into his very soul and Inuyasha felt uncomfortable under such a heavy gaze. He sighed and turned his attention back towards the three boys, his expression still angered.

"If I ever even hear a _whisper_ about you doing this to Rin again, I will hunt you down. And I will make you _suffer_. Do you understand me?" Inuyasha said, with his eyes narrowed. The three boys nodded meekly. "Good, now get the fuck out of my sight. If I ever see you again, you'll be sorry."

The boys didn't need a second invitation, realizing that they were, by some miracle, granted a way to escape. As soon as Inuyasha fell silent the boys were scrambling over each other to get away. They knew he would be strong. They knew that it would be their heads if he caught them. He'd let them off easy, they could tell. They would not waste this opportunity to get away.

Once Inuyasha was satisfied they were gone, he stalked up to Rin, who quivered and stared at him with wide eyes. He knelt down and gazed at his cousin.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he said firmly, his face angry. Rin was too young to understand that what she saw in his eyes was not anger.

"I didn't want to… make you worry… about me," Rin stammered out.

Inuyasha sighed and sat back on his haunches, and then on his butt, not caring if they were in the middle of a giant mud puddle. He observed Rin curiously before sighing again and scratching his cheek.

"I worry about you anyway, Rin," Inuyasha sighed. "And all that damned money I gave you. You weren't buying milk."

It wasn't a question, but Rin nodded her head in agreement anyway. She hadn't bought milk. She hated milk. She glanced down at her muddy knees and felt her bottom lip quiver again. He'd saved her. She'd stood up for herself and then he'd saved her.

"How long have they been doing this?" Inuyasha questioned.

Rin shrugged. "I don't know."

"Rin…" Inuyasha said, his eyes narrowing. "How long?"

Rin ducked her head. "Two weeks… I think…"

Inuyasha blew out a long stream of air and ruffled his bangs with his hand. She'd started acting strange two weeks ago, now that he thought about it. And she'd asked for milk money a short time afterwards. And he realized now that he never got change for that money, and he gave her enough money that there would be change.

"They won't bother you again," Inuyasha promised.

Rin lifted her head, her brown eyes glowing and her face splitting into a large smile.

"I know."

Inuyasha rested his hands on his knees, his lips pulled downwards into a frown. He observed his cousin as she stood up from the mud and dusted off as much dirt and grime as she could. Before Inuyasha could say anything, she padded over to him and positioned herself behind him. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her face into the nape of his neck.

"Thank you," she mumbled, feeling tears push against her eyes.

Inuyasha stared at the sky through the chained fence and sighed again, his chest puffing out. He shifted and pulled himself up, dislodging Rin's arms. He turned around and patted her head.

"If it ever happens again, just tell me," he said instead of what he wanted to say.

* * *

Thursday dawned bright and sunny. Rin was excited to get to school, now that she knew she wouldn't be beaten up. She jumped around Inuyasha's room, trying to wake the deadweight up. Inuyasha moaned when Rin started jumping on his bed and waved his hand, trying to catch Rin but only catching air.

"Go away…" Inuyasha moaned, feeling light under the heavy weight of his blanket. "Too early."

"No it's not, Inu-oniichan," Rin chirped happily. "You forgot to turn on your alarm last night. We need to leave in ten minutes."

"What?" Inuyasha yelped, shocked, as he whipped up in bed, nearly crashing into Rin, who grinned cheekily at him. Inuyasha snorted and rolled out of bed, searching for his uniform in the messy sanctity of his room.

Ten minutes later, Inuyasha ran from the house with Rin in his arms so that she wouldn't fall behind. He jumped and ran and made it to the kindergarten in record time. It was amazing how fast the boy could go sometimes. People often wanted him to join the track team. But Inuyasha never did.

"Good, you're here and not late," Inuyasha said, checking his watch. He sighed in relief and set Rin down. "There you go."

Parents all around them waved goodbye to their children and watched as the kids trotted inside. Rin made her way towards the door. Inuyasha rested against the fence, watching her go. He knew the likelihood that something would happen to Rin on the way to her classroom was slim, but he decided to stick around, just in case.

Rin moved slowly, her hand grasping the rail lining the steps. As she walked up the steps, she turned around and waved at Inuyasha, her hand fluttering through the air and her mouth grinning widely. Her brown eyes were wide and innocent, just like any child's should be. Inuyasha felt something in his gut wrench and he hated it.

Inuyasha wasn't sure what the feeling within him was. He hadn't felt it in years. It bubbled up inside of him and almost made him feel like he was floating.

His face relaxed and before he could even think to stop himself, his lips curved into a tiny smile. Rin seemed astounded by the look of her cousin smiling—smiling and lacking his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. He looked remarkably younger when he smiled and he almost looked happy.

He hadn't smiled in years. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled. And now, just by a wave and a smile from his little cousin, he felt like smiling for the rest of his life.

With a smile still on his lips, he raised his hand and waved to Rin. Rin's smile only widened and she waved back before disappearing inside of her schoolhouse. Inuyasha watched the spot she'd disappeared from and wondered how it was that just her smile could make him do something he hadn't done in years.

He stood in that spot for only a moment longer before trooping off to his school, his face free of any creased brows, frowns, or narrowed eyes.

* * *

"_Mr. Shinkanshi? My name is Miss Yaroku and I'm an assistant at your cousin, Rin's, kindergarten. I'm calling on behalf of the entire faculty to apologize for the short notice. However, the school will be closed tomorrow due to teacher planning. I apologize once again for any inconvenience this may cause you,"_ the answer machine message bleeped out as Inuyasha listened. _"If you have any questions please call—"_

Inuyasha hit the erase button, cutting the message short. He sighed and ran a hand through his unruly hair.

"So you've got a day off today?" Inuyasha asked Rin as he erased the phone message Rin's teacher had left on his machine. He glanced at Rin and frowned deeply. "I can't have Kagome watch you while I go to school because she needs to go, too. But I have a test in English and Mr. Yuuki will have a cow if I skip another lesson, especially on test day."

"I'm sorry," Rin said slowly, bowing her head. Despite the fact that he'd saved her from the bullies the other day and they had yet to harass her again, she still felt a little uneasy around her cousin.

"It's not your fault," Inuyasha said as he moved past her. "It's not like you have control of it."

He started packing his things. He glanced at his watch. "I've got no time to make a lunch," he muttered. "I'll just mooch off of Miroku, then."

Rin watched him silently.

"You'll have to stay in the house for today, Rin," Inuyasha said firmly. He knelt down and stared at her harshly, trying to convey the importance of what he was about to say. "You're going to _stay_."

"I'm not a dog," Rin protested, his command sounding like one someone would give a dog.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You're going to stay here in the house and just watch TV. I'll come by during my lunch period if I can sneak away. You'll just stay here and wait for me to come home, okay? Do not open the door for anyone. If for some reason Kagome comes here, she'll just walk in without knocking—because that stupid girl acts like she lives here—and I'll just walk in, too, because I do live here. But do not open the door. Do not answer the phone. Do not leave the house. You got that?"

"Yes," Rin said, looking saddened at the idea of being alone for the day.

"Okay, just watch TV or take a nap. Or something." Inuyasha stood up and picked up his book bag.

"Have a safe trip, Inu-oniichan," Rin told his back, following behind him, her small feet slapping against the floor.

Inuyasha gripped the door handle before turning when he felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down at Rin, who stared up at him, smiling widely and waving lightly to him. He sighed and ruffled her hair, messing up the perpetually messy hairdo. Hair fell out of her side pony-tail and she made a small squeak-like noise that would have been adorable to anyone other than Inuyasha.

"Be safe," she told her cousin's back as she released her hold on him. He nodded his head and stepped through the doorway.

"See you after school, Rin," he said and closed the door behind him, leaving Rin alone in the house.

* * *

The lunch bell rang and Inuyasha sighed, stretching out and turning around to look to see what Miroku had brought for lunch. The boy glanced at his friend suspiciously and pulled his packed lunch away from his lavender eyes.

"I don't have enough to share today," Miroku apologized. "I can give you a bit of my bread, if you'd like."

"Nah, it's fine," Inuyasha waved his hand. "I'm not that hungry anyway."

His stomach growled loudly and Inuyasha frowned.

"I guess I can go to the cafeteria and get some bread," Inuyasha grumbled, standing up. He slouched his way towards the front of the room and to the sliding door. Pushing his way through a bunch of girls, Inuyasha made his way to the cafeteria.

He hadn't been there since his first year, and it was a strange nostalgic experience for him. He'd forgotten that it was first come first serve and that literally shoving people out of the way was necessary. Eventually he was successful as he left the cafeteria with yakisoba bread in between his teeth, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

He climbed the steps and glanced outside towards the direction of his home. He hoped that Rin would be okay. There was food in the house, so she should be fine in that sense. And there was plenty of television shows for her to watch. And she could sleep.

He stopped his mental reassurance—Rin wouldn't leave the house. He'd kill her if she did.

A small voice in his head told him that Rin _never_ listened to him. She was always leaving the schoolyard when he was just a little late. Or very late. Whichever.

"Don't be stupid," he told his bread as he bit into it. "She won't leave."

As he approached his classroom, the thin walls allowed him to hear the conversations going on inside.

"She is just too cute!" a girl squealed and Inuyasha felt his eyes rolling skyward. What was it with girls and cute things?

"So why are you here?"

"Inu-oniichan's a senior… so he's got to be in one of the level three classes," a small voice chirped and the bread fell from Inuyasha's mouth as his jaw dropped. Jesus Christ, he'd told her to stay at the house. "And this is the fourth one I've tried today!"

Inuyasha raced to the door and threw it open. "Rin!"

The class all stopped in their cooing and awing in order to turn around and stare at Inuyasha's dramatic entrance and exclamation. The females looked ready to fling themselves at the little girl in the room, and the boys seemed shocked at the girl's presence and Inuyasha's entrance.

Sure enough, Rin sat on top of a desk, her legs swinging out as she gripped a large bag. She beamed when she saw him and hopped off the desk.

"Inu-oniichan! I found you!" she chirped happily, her brown eyes wide and glowing as she toddled over to him. She offered him the bag and he took it without hesitation, silently yanking it from her grip. "I'm so happy."

"Rin, I told you to stay in the house. What are you doing here?" Inuyasha demanded, conscious of all the eyes on him at the front of the class. He opened the bag and was greeted with a sloppily prepared bagged lunch.

"I made you lunch because I was sad that you didn't have time to make lunch. I wanted to make sure that Inu-oniichan got something to eat. And since you'd be coming home anyway to make sure Rin was okay, Rin wanted to meet you!" Rin beamed proudly, confident in her accomplishment. Her head rose up and her chest puffed out proudly.

Inuyasha sighed and knelt down, scooping her up along with the lunch Rin had made him. His face was a bright red and he whipped his head around to look at his classmates, his eyes narrowing as he gave them all death glares. They continued to stare at him and the girls looked prepared to wet themselves from the amount of restraint they were showing, trying to resist the urge to scream at the adorable little girl and hug her into oblivion.

"Shinkanshi-Kun," a bold girl dared to ask. "Who's she? Your sister?"

"Uh…" Inuyasha faltered.

The girls that he didn't even know rushed up to him and Rin. They encircled him, staring at the little girl who grinned at them, silently pleased with the attention she was receiving. They cooed and awed at the adorable little child, trying to make her laugh in his arms.

"Why were you alone at Shinkanshi-Kun's home?" one girl asked.

"I didn't have school today but Inu-oniichan had to come to school to take a test. So Rin came by to give him a lunch."

"Shinkanshi-Kun, you have to take care of this girl all by yourself?" one girl said. He remembered that just that morning she was one of the many girls that gave him death glares for his rough and rude nature. Now, she was practically slobbering over him just because he was holding Rin. What was wrong with females? They were all phonies, the whole lot of them.

"Uh… yeah…" Inuyasha said hesitantly.

"Who knew that Shinkanshi-Kun had a soft side," one girl said dramatically to her companion.

Inuyasha inched away from them, feeling uncomfortable. He retreated from the front of the class and moved to his desk where Miroku sat stunned. Rin hopped up onto his desk and started humming, swinging her legs around happily.

Inuyasha was sure that the girls in his class were about to have heart attacks. They kept squealing and trying to get Rin's attention, but soon the little girl grew bored and watched as Inuyasha ate the food she made him.

The food was disgusting, but he'd be damned if he let Rin start crying in front of everyone. That would be even more embarrassing than this situation was already turning out to be.

"So, this is the infamous little cousin, eh?" Miroku said, leaning over Inuyasha's shoulder to get a better look at the little girl. Rin beamed up at him and Miroku returned the smile warmly. "Well, aren't you a cutie."

Inuyasha jerked his head around and gave him a glare. "Don't even think about it."

"I'm insulted that you would think so little of me," Miroku said with a pout, but turned his attention back to Rin. "You should let me borrow her sometime, Inuyasha. I mean, did you see all the girls that crowded around you? If I could just walk with Rin sometime, I'd get all these females eating out of the palm of my hand by that afternoon."

Inuyasha swallowed the cookie Rin had packed for him and frowned. "No."

"Ah, come on!" Miroku protested.

"No," Inuyasha said again, his eyes narrowing. He jerked his head towards Miroku and addressed Rin, "Never go anywhere with him, okay?"

"Okay!" Rin chirped, sending another wave of squeals throughout the room. Inuyasha hated his classmates.

"Why not?" Miroku protested. "She's the ultimate babe magnet. Just for a day, that's all I ask."

"Stop it," Inuyasha commanded. "She's not an object."

Miroku sighed and shook his head. Inuyasha frowned and turned his attention back to Rin, feeling his cheeks turn pink with his defensive nature against Rin. He hated being weak.

"Sango!" Miroku sang out, quickly getting over his prohibition of ever touching or going anywhere with Rin, and dancing over to his current obsession. "Can you believe how rude Inuyasha-Chan is being to me?"

"What did you just call me?" Inuyasha demanded, glaring daggers at Miroku's back. The boy ignored him and Inuyasha had to wonder why such an idiot ended up being friends with him.

"Inu-oniichan," Rin whined. "I'm hungry."

"Here," Inuyasha said, offering her the last of his lunch. Rin smiled brightly and took the proffered food and nibbled on it happily. Chirping out a large thank you, Inuyasha merely shrugged and waved her thanks aside, not really wishing to make a display for the frivolous girls of his class.

"Isn't Kagome-Chan in class with you, Inu-oniichan?" Rin questioned after a long moment of silence.

"Huh? Oh yeah, why don't you go say hi to her." Inuyasha said distractingly, watching birds outside his window. The glass was dirty and it was hard for him to see the feathered creatures beyond, but he knew that they were having a better time than he was cooped up in this classroom.

"Kagome-Chan's not here," Rin supplied.

"Eh?" Inuyasha turned his attention towards the occupants of the room. Sure enough, Kagome was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he hadn't seen her since the end of third period. "That's strange."

The lunch bell rang and Inuyasha jerked to attention. "Oh shit, you're not supposed to be here," Inuyasha said, surprised and fearful. He had PE next. "I've got to bring you home."

Inuyasha stood up and scooped Rin up into his arms, taking the bag from her hands and stuffing it into his desk. Rin wrapped her arms around his neck and cushioned her head against his shoulder, making herself comfortable. Inuyasha frowned and contemplated the idea of just making her walk, since she was so darn confident he _would_ carry her home. But he thought better of it. Rin was probably sleepy, since she normally took a nap around this time, anyway.

"Fine," he groaned and rolled his eyes. He jerked his head towards Miroku. "Tell Mr. Nakamichi that I got sick and went to the health room."

"Right-o, captain!" Miroku said with a mock salute. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Rin.

"I'm going to take you home, okay?"

It was remarkable to watch. The girls, who were so fixated on Inuyasha and his charge, had never seen an expression other than annoyance or anger on his face. They'd grown used to seeing his furrowed brow and frowning lips. But now, as he looked at Rin, there was a soft look in his eyes that they never dreamed could appear on his face.

In other words, it had the girls squealing and discussing it for the rest of the day, even after Inuyasha showed up late to PE class and had to run extra laps to make up for the time missed.

* * *

"You should have been there, Kagome," Ayame gushed the next day at school as the girls set up their station for their science lab. Ayame watched as Sango and Kagome pulled their hair back into high ponytails to avoid any chemicals or fire to ignite their hair. She sighed wistfully at the memory. "He was just so… cute."

Kagome tutted and rolled her blue eyes heavenward, staring at the ceiling with chipping paint. She plucked a pair of goggles from the countertop and positioned it over her oceanic orbs.

"I see it every time I baby-sit," Kagome said airily.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me that Shinkanshi-Kun was such a sensitive soul underneath his macho exterior," Ayame questioned dramatically, "What kind of friend are you?"

"Ayame, two days ago you hated him," Sango said, ever the pacifist. She leaned over and filled one of their larger beakers with water to boil before placing it over the Bunsen burner.

"Well…" Ayame faltered.

"And don't you have a crush on Yamasaki Kouga from class 3-2?" Kagome supplied, reading over the instructions of the lab before continuing on to instruction number two.

"Well, yes…" Ayame frowned as her two friends giggled. "Stop making fun of me!"

"I told you guys that Inuyasha wasn't nearly as bad as everyone was making him out to be." Kagome brushed a strand of her black hair behind her ear and sighed wistfully.

"But he _did_ make you cry," Ayame ventured slowly, unsure how sensitive Kagome was on the subject.

The said girl seemed unfazed by her red-haired friend's observation. "Yes, but he also saved me." She licked her dry lips. "And there have been occasions when he's been nice."

"Kagome-Chan would know better than anyone," Sango whispered. "She seems to always be around Shinkanshi-Kun."

Kagome jerked her head up and narrowed her eyes at her friend. She looked around, making sure no one was listening in on their conversation. She sighed again, this time in relief, when she discovered that no one was listening. She flushed.

"Sango-Chan," she hissed through her teeth. "Don't say stuff like that."

"I whispered it," Sango protested but fell silent under Kagome's dead stare. "Ayame, pass me the blue solution, will you?"

Kagome glanced up and looked over her shoulder. Three rows back and on the window side of the classroom, Kagome's eyes locked on Inuyasha's. Lavender and blue clashed for one brief moment before they both whipped their heads away, Kagome staring down at her lab book and Inuyasha out the window.

Her face an impossible shade of red, Kagome fidgeted and wrote down a hypothesis, glancing at Sango's every so often to make sure she was going in the right direction with her theory.

She glanced up again at Inuyasha, but he was no longer looking at her. He was working with Miroku, and another boy, Hojo, at their table, pouring the blue solution into the beaker of boiling water.

She bit her lip and forced her attention away from the boys.

"It's amazing though," Ayame said, picking up the conversation they'd trailed away from. "I never knew that Shinkanshi-Kun could be good with kids."

"Yeah, he doesn't seem the type, does he?" Kagome agreed, staring at her pencil like it'd done her personal harm. She gripped it tightly in her hand, her knuckles going white.

"He'd be a great father. And a really great boyfriend," Ayame said bluntly, her smile infectious. Sango gave her a tiny smile and Kagome laughed nervously, her cheeks turning pink.

"He doesn't like it when people think that, though," Kagome said with another nervous laugh. "He hates it when people look at him. I bet you noticed it when Rin came to class. It happens every time he does some spontaneous act of kindness for Rin and I'm around. He gets all flustered, and not because he's embarrassed. Sometimes he's just ashamed or angry. He does that a lot."

"I don't know why he hides it," Ayame huffed. "Sensitive is _so_ much better than rude macho-ness. Don't you think?"

"People will surprise you everyday," Sango said calmly, writing in her lab book. "It's something that makes studying humans so fascinating. Right, Kagome-Chan?"

"That's right, Kagome-Chan wants to be a psychiatrist."

"Maybe," Kagome said uneasily. "I don't think I'd be any good at it." She thought bitterly of Inuyasha. "Who knows? I may end up being something else. I still have a while to decide."

"Not too much time, though," Sango supplied. "This _is_ our senior year, after all."

"Yeah," Ayame sighed dreamily. She pounded her fist into her open palm, releasing a small slapping sound. "My last chance to make a move on Kouga."

"You've known him since diapers, Ayame-Chan," Sango said good-naturedly. "Think you've waited long enough, do you?"

"No," Ayame sighed and laughed. "Kouga-Kun's a good guy, and very kind to me. I've tried time and time again, but sooner or later I'll get 'em." She nodded her head, determined, before a thought struck her. "If all else fails, maybe I can make a move on Shinkanshi-Kun?"

Kagome's pencil snapped and Ayame jumped in surprise as Kagome jerked up, smiling widely.

"Sorry," she explained, laughing uneasily. "That was an old pencil. It was bound to break sooner or later."

Kagome marched away to go find another pencil, walking up to their science teacher, Mrs. Chan, who sat poised at her desk, grading last week's test.

Ayame and Sango watched her go, both girls confused at that sudden display. Ayame, who didn't read too much into it, shrugged it up, and continued writing the last of the procedures in her lab book. Sango, on the other hand, followed her friend with her eyes, understanding the things that Kagome wouldn't say and the things that Kagome wouldn't think.


	10. Chapter 10: Find the Light

**Daughters  
Chapter Ten: Find the Light**

* * *

"Where did Kagome go?" Sango questioned at lunch that Friday. She frowned and stared down at her bento lunch. "We have PE after lunch, she won't want to miss that."

"I bet she's skipping," Ayame sighed, poking at her own lunch of top ramen. "And didn't even bother to invite me."

"Ladies," Miroku gushed out happily, landing beside Sango with a flashy display of fluttering eyelashes and smirking lips. "No need to fear, for I am here."

"We were worried about Kagome, not you," Sango said firmly, ignoring Miroku's crocodile tears.

"Where'd Kagome go?" Inuyasha questioned before he could stop himself.

The two girls looked at him, their eyebrows arching upwards.

"Why do you care?" Ayame questioned, her green eyes blinking before narrowing, her red hair framing her face. She pursed her lips and shoved Miroku away when he moved towards her. "You don't like her, remember?"

Inuyasha snarled. "I don't care, I was just…"

Unable to think of a suitable excuse, Inuyasha fell silent and, with a large huff, stared out the window, where the sun was shining brightly. Summer vacation was coming and he knew he'd have a large amount of homework to do before the start of next term after the break. Second semester wouldn't start until September.

"Oy," Miroku swiveled his head. "Inuyasha, want to go get me a drink? I'm thirsty."

"Got money?" Inuyasha questioned, thankful for the excuse to leave the classroom, where all the girls were making gaga eyes at him. Ever since Rin had made her infamous appearance, the girls had been looking at him differently. Miroku complained to him about how all the girls liked his 'sensitive' side and were completely ignoring him. Inuyasha just shrugged him off and told him how the girls ignored him before his 'transformation' from rude jerk to quiet, sensitive, and misunderstood loner.

He plucked Miroku's proffered yen from his hand and retreated from the room, searching for the drink machine and hoping there wasn't a large line. He moved swiftly down the hallway until he heard a strange sound that sounded like a mixture between a gargle and a moan.

Unsure whether he wanted to know the source of such a mysterious noise, Inuyasha moved on. But he paused when the sound grew louder and he identified it as a strangled sob. He froze in his spot when he realized that the sound was coming from the janitor's closet near the staircase.

He moved slowly towards the door and tapped on the wood. The sobbing immediately ceased and Inuyasha frowned. As if that would work—he _knew_ someone was in there. As if stopping would do any good.

He threw the door open and was shocked to see Kagome Higurashi on the other side of the door, nestled between a mop and cleaning fluids.

"What are you doing in here?" Inuyasha questioned, wondering _why_ the girl was sitting in a broom closet crying hysterically. Tears fell down her cheeks and she turned her face away in shame.

"Go away," she said pathetically.

"No," Inuyasha said firmly and wondered why he didn't leave. He stepped into the closet.

"I was just… in here…" Kagome stammered. "When the door shut."

Inuyasha shut the door and Kagome's eyes widened.

"And I got locked in."

"Shit," Inuyasha cursed and jiggled the handle, trying to push the door open but failing; the door wouldn't budge. He cursed again and shoved against it, wishing he could dislodge the sticky door from its frame and run away from the situation he'd just submerged himself in. He was so stupid.

He bashed his head against the door and cursed his stupidity. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a closet with Kagome. People would find them and then the rumors would spread through the school like wildfire. All he ever wanted to do was be ignored by the stupid, fake people in this school. He'd gone through his high school career without being noticed, why now?

That's right… he was in a closet with Kagome. But why was she here?

He turned his head and gazed at her, his lavender eyes adjusting to the darkness. Above their head a small, dying light bulb buzzed and blinked, shedding a soft, yellow glow in the small vicinity. He thanked God he wasn't claustrophobic. Or a misogynist, for that matter. He didn't completely detest women; he was just always so incredibly uncomfortable around them that he tended to avoid them like the plague. But… it was Kagome… and she was crying.

He realized with horror that she truly was crying. She stared at him, tears spilling down her cheeks. He stared at her blankly, unsure what to make of the scene before him. Kagome quickly ducked her head and wiped the tears away.

"What…?"

"I'm sorry," Kagome hiccupped. "The tears… they just won't stop…"

She kept wiping at her cheeks but tears continued to spill. She bit back a sob and offered him a frail, watery smile. That smile killed him more than the tears.

"I'm so weak… I just… I just think of that man," she trailed off and looked away. "I promised… I promised I wouldn't cry anymore. But I'm always crying. I promised… I promised my mom that I'd be strong."

She gripped her knees, tears drizzling from her eyes and splattering on her legs and skirt, leaving dark spots on the red material. Inuyasha stared stupidly.

"I'm sorry," Kagome repeated. "They just won't stop."

He wasn't sure of what man she was thinking of; he assumed it was the man that attacked her, and, even though it happened nearly a month ago, he could see why it could continue to bother her.

"You should just try and forget about it…" he ventured.

"I can't forget about my father," Kagome said bitterly. "He's just been so difficult lately."

"Wait, you're talking about your dad?" Inuyasha asked, bewildered. He thought she was talking about the guy who assaulted her.

Kagome stared at him, tears in her eyes. "What…? Yes… Who did you think I was talking about?"

"No one," he said stubbornly, then tried the door again to try and leave. The door was still stuck. Somehow, he knew that would be the case.

They sat in an awkward silence. Inuyasha just didn't know how to cope in such a situation, and Kagome was desperately trying to stop her tears. Her occasional sniffles punctuated the stressed silence of the small closet and Inuyasha shifted, leaning against the wall and knocking against a broom.

"You're crying over your father…?" Inuyasha risked after the silence became deafening.

Kagome sniffled. "I don't want to bother you with my problems. Why do you think I hid myself in the closet in the first place? I didn't want people to see me like this." She drew her knees to her chest and buried her face. "It must be terrible for you. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing, it's annoying," Inuyasha grunted.

Silence fell again.

"What did your dad do?" Inuyasha questioned, once again breaking the deafly silence.

Kagome hiccupped. "He's just…"

She stared at her feet in the darkness. The light grazed her skin, giving her an almost surreal glow, and unearthly visage. She blinked slowly, and the pale yellow light reflected in her eyes, the tears glimmering in the oceanic orbs.

"Never mind," Kagome mumbled and forced a watery smile on her lips. "It's nothing important."

'_Liar,'_ he thought bitterly, watching as one last tear trickled down her cheek.

"Tell me," he insisted.

Kagome sighed. "I don't want to make my dad sound like a bad man but…"

"Miroku told me," Inuyasha quickly interjected. "He said he's a good guy, your old man, but just not a good father."

Kagome smiled pathetically and nodded her head. "Yes, Miroku's right."

"So what did he do?"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't," Inuyasha shot back, feeling his cheeks turn pink. "I just think that telling somebody would be better than staying cooped up in a closet. So just tell me, it's not like I've got anyone to tell."

Kagome blinked and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

They sat in silence for what could have been an eternity or just a few seconds. Inuyasha wasn't sure what to make of the situation before him but he didn't press anything. Occasionally he jiggled the handle he sat next to and wished that someone would pass by and, say, need a broom from the janitor's closet. Better yet, have it be the janitor, because if one of his classmates found him, he would die from the shame of getting locked in the closet. And with Kagome, on top of that.

Her tears had quieted; perhaps the presence of Inuyasha persuaded her to stop crying. Crying in front of others was always embarrassing, especially for high school students. She swallowed a lump in her throat and felt her heart race in her chest.

"How long have you been in here?" Inuyasha asked suddenly.

Kagome fidgeted with her uniform, tugging on her tie. "Since the end of last period. I've been gone from lunch for the past few days, haven't you noticed?" She paused. "No, of course not."

"Sango and Ayame were worried about you."

"I know, but I told them that I just had to talk to some teachers…" Kagome sighed. "I guess I shouldn't lie… but… I don't want to worry them."

"I guess so," Inuyasha said uneasily and fell silent, watching her in the flickering light.

He was struck once again by the sheer loneliness he saw in her eyes. The day when she was looking up at the stars… and now, when she was staring down at her feet. Each time she looked so incredibly lonely Inuyasha couldn't understand _why_. What was so terrible in Kagome's life? And yet, despite that pain she harbored, how could she keep smiling?

It took him years to smile again, and even now, it felt unnatural. The feeling of his lips curving upwards into a smile when he didn't feel happy… there was something weird about it. How could Kagome bare to hide behind such a mask one moment and then the next, dart behind closed doors and cry her eyes out?

"So tell me," he said again. He wondered why he insisted on it.

Kagome laughed quietly, her thoughts obviously traveling along the same vein as his.

"He just makes me so angry!" Kagome said firmly. "He doesn't stand up for himself. He did it with my mom and now he does it with Abi. You know who Abi is, right?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha murmured, "Miroku told me."

"Abi just makes me… just so angry!" Kagome frowned. "But I want my dad to be happy. I've let go of the foolish feeling that my mom and dad belong with only one another. I want my dad to be happy again, but I wish that it wasn't with Abi. She's just a… a terrible woman."

Inuyasha was silent, not daring to interrupt Kagome on her tirade.

"My dad has no consideration for others, and he always plays the victim. It's always a guilt trip here and a guilt trip there! Everything is always somebody else's fault. When my mother died… it wasn't his fault, it was my mom's fault! When my mom found out about his affair, it was my mom's fault for not being a better wife. When he was with Abi, it was Abi's fault for seducing him!"

She clenched her eyes shut and grasped her knees.

"Abi is just so… just so… God."

He wasn't sure what to say to her accusations. Perhaps she'd let slip more than she meant to. Affair?

And did he hear correctly with the…?

"Your mother died because of…?"

Kagome shook her head quickly. "No, my father didn't kill my mother. At least, not directly. Maybe indirectly."

"Did your mother, uh," Inuyasha was unsure how to say it.

"She didn't commit suicide, either," Kagome replied lightly, as if she were reading his mind. Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he didn't have to necessarily ask and just have Kagome complete his sentences for him.

"How did she die, then?" Inuyasha questioned before he could stop himself.

Kagome smiled sadly. "My mom ran away from the house when she discovered Abi and Dad together, in her house, in her room, in her bed. It tore her apart. Perhaps that's when she truly died. She died when she saw the one man she loved turn his back on her."

Inuyasha fidgeted.

"My mom… she… "

"You don't need to say it," Inuyasha said, his voice coming out softer than he'd ever heard it before. He realized the look on her face. It was still too painful. For her, her mother's death was still recent. She was only thirteen when it happened.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said again. "Burdening you with my own stupid problems."

"It's obvious not stupid," Inuyasha snorted, feeling his lips quirk downwards into a deep frown, "if you lock yourself in a closet so you can cry in peace. Have you ever talked to your dad about this?"

"You've obviously never met my dad," Kagome murmured, a bitter, mirthless laugh escaping her dry throat.

"Oh."

She bit her lip and her eyes welled up before she quickly blinked them and banished the tearful look.

"He's the master of guilt tripping. I can't tell him anything without him getting me? all guilt-ridden. He just… makes me feel so terrible. I feel like I can't do anything without hurting his feelings. I feel like it's me who's the damned parent and he's the child! It's the other way around! I'm not supposed to care about his feelings so much that I'm willing to bend over backwards for him!"

Inuyasha stared at her silently.

"And now Abi's pregnant! Was I not good enough? Was Souta not good enough?"

"Souta?" Inuyasha questioned.

Kagome blinked. "Right, you've never met Souta. He's my baby brother."

Inuyasha nodded, urging her to continue.

She smiled bitterly, her eyes welling up again. "He was such a sweet boy."

"Was?" Did he die too?

"Abi sent Souta off to a boarding school because she claimed he had a disciplinary problem. Souta just wasn't afraid to speak his mind. And Dad's guilt trips never worked on him, they only made him angry. But Abi and Dad sent him away. He's only eleven."

Inuyasha watched her for a brief moment.

"These things," Inuyasha ventured, "are what make you human."

Kagome laughed mirthlessly. "I suppose so."

They lapsed away into silence, punctuated by Kagome's sporadic sniffles and their deep breathing. Inuyasha felt awkward sitting with Kagome after the girl revealed so much about her family life—he felt like he was intruding. He was always uncomfortable around girls.

"Do you have your cell phone? To call someone?" Kagome asked out of the blue after Inuyasha started growing used to her silence. He jumped but quickly disguised it as his eagerness to find his cell phone and get the hell out of the closet.

"No," he said, defeated, after checking his pockets.

Kagome nodded her head. "When they find us, they're going to bombard us with closet jokes, you know that? Oh, Miroku will have a fit for days." She seemed rather amused by the idea. "He'll never let you live this down."

"That's why we're not going to let him find out," Inuyasha said, tensely. At his tone, Kagome fell silent and her smile slipped from her face. She nodded her head and fiddled with the hem of her skirt. Inuyasha jiggled the handle, praying for it to open.

The door wouldn't budge. Of course.

"Terrific," he muttered to himself, ready to kick himself for his stupidity.

"Do you hate me?" Kagome asked abruptly. Inuyasha started at such a question and swiveled his head to stare at her in surprise.

"What?" he croaked out.

Kagome's face turned bright pink. "Never mind. Sorry. I didn't mean to impose. It's none of my business."

The entire fragmented sentences were spoken quicker than necessary and Inuyasha realized that Kagome really was curious about it. What was wrong with this girl? She was one paradox after another. She was always preaching one thing then doing something completely different. She was so… annoying, and yet… fascinating. Was that the right word? Inuyasha wasn't sure.

Kagome sighed and turned her head, staring at the wall lined with cleaning supplies used by the school's janitors. She fiddled with her fingers and batted aside a stray cobweb with the back of her hand.

"You've already asked me a question like that," Inuyasha finally murmured. "And you didn't like the answer."

"No, I didn't like it," Kagome agreed, her eyes saddened as she stared a cardboard box filled with window cleaner.

They sat in silence.

"Am I at least… on friendly terms with you?" Kagome questioned, her heart pounding against her chest, as if she was afraid of what he would say; she _was_ afraid of what he would say. She was alone with Inuyasha in a closet. It could make any sane girl's heart pound.

"Maybe," Inuyasha muttered. "Like hell I know. I don't care."

"Because I like to think of us on friendly terms," Kagome whispered, ducking her head. "Maybe not friends, per se, but at least friendly."

Inuyasha snorted.

"Why do you want me to be your friend so bad, anyway? How could being my friend possibly benefit you?" Inuyasha questioned. He glared at the light in the ceiling. Well, more slightly off to the left, so as not to blind himself with the light.

"Haven't you realized?" Kagome said quietly, staring at her feet. Inuyasha stared at her quizzically. "Haven't you noticed that I've always been right behind you?"

"Uh…" Inuyasha trialed off, unsure whether Kagome was being metaphorical or literal, either way he put it, it was still an odd thing to say. He shifted in his seat and knitted his eyebrows together. "What are you talking about?"

Kagome ducked her head, her face completely covered by shadows. He stared at her, not even beginning to understand what it was that she was saying. She remained silent.

"You've never been behind me," he said firmly and Kagome's eyes widened. She skirted away, grasping her knees. "You've infuriated me and pissed me off multiple times. There are times that I could cheerfully strangle you."

"You haven't noticed," Kagome said, a bitter note of defensiveness in her voice.

Inuyasha's frown deepened and he stared at her.

"I've been there," Kagome continued. "You've just never seen me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know," Kagome whispered, ducking her head. "I remember."

"Remember what?"

"When you were eight," Kagome whispered.

Eight. He remembered that age. But why did Kagome remember? What did she remember?

"The day that you were called down to the office during school. You were gone for only a couple minutes. Then you came back," Kagome whispered. "And you were crying."

Inuyasha reeled back in shock, staring at her. He blinked a couple times before he realized that Kagome was talking about _that_. The day his parents died in the car accident. But why did she remember it?

"You remember the day my parents died."

"I do," Kagome nodded. "I will never forget the look on your face, Inuyasha."

"But why?" he murmured.

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "Because I also remember the kids that made fun of you for crying. You told the teacher, in a hushed voice, that you had to go home. You went home after getting your stuff, and you didn't come back until about a week later."

Inuyasha was silent, his face a perfect expression of horror and shock.

"But when you did come back, you were a changed person." Kagome blinked her eyes, as if she were fighting tears again. "You didn't smile. You didn't laugh. You didn't talk. You just sat there. I remember the little boy who smiled and played… the little boy that was so incredibly happy that it was almost seemed impossible that one child _could_ be that happy."

A shiver ran down Inuyasha's spine.

"When you came back… you were different. But I wanted, more than anything else, to see you smile. When I learned that you'd lost both your parents, I wanted to make you happy again. But I was too shy then. I was too shy to even come near you." She turned her head away, staring at the broom and mop. Shadows covered her face.

"Why do you remember that?"

"When I turned thirteen," Kagome continued, as if she hadn't heard him, "my mother died. I remember that pain I felt and thought, _'is this the same pain he felt? The same pain that he still feels?'_ Perhaps it wasn't any of my business. After all, I didn't know you, and you certainly didn't remember me when we were in the same class in middle school. But, I…"

She trailed off, her lips pressing firmly together.

"I was mean to you, though, because you were mean to me. That's no excuse. But, I realized that after I snapped at you, I didn't do anything to help you." She shrugged her shoulders, faking a look of nonchalance. In reality, her lips were quivering and she looked ready to pass out. "I wanted to see you smile."

Quietly, as if afraid he'd scare her away, he crept out of the shadows he'd nestled himself into and let the dying light bathe him. He crept close to her and waited until she finally dared to lift her head. Blue eyes locked with lavender eyes and stayed locked for what felt like the longest moment he'd ever experienced.

"I don't remember you," he whispered.

Kagome nodded. "I know. But I was there, even if I made you angry."

"Yeah," he replied faintly.

Those blue eyes wavered.

He inhaled deeply. "But why?"

"Maybe…" Kagome's voice wavered. In the background they heard the lunch bell ring. For some reason, Inuyasha didn't care anymore. "I just… thought you looked better when you smiled."

He felt his lips twitch. Why did he suddenly want to smile? He'd gone years without smiling to having to resist the temptation—he'd smiled at Rin, and now he wanted to smile for Kagome?

Kagome bowed her head again; her blue eyes no longer looked at him. Inuyasha felt his hands shake as he gripped the slacks of his uniform.

"You're a stupid girl," he said finally, "to waste so much time on me. I'm nothing."

"You're not to me," Kagome said weakly and she felt her entire face turn red. She cleared her throat. "I mean… I want… I want to be your friend. I want to be able to make you happy."

"That's what makes you stupid," Inuyasha said quietly, with less conviction this time. He leaned against the wall, stretching out his legs and arms, his hands tucking behind his head and cushioning his skull as he leaned back. He hid in the shadows, his lips quirked downwards in a thoughtful frown.

"It doesn't stop me," Kagome replied, her voice light.

Inuyasha grunted his acknowledgement.

He heard Kagome let out a small sniffle as she regained control of her emotions. She shifted and ducked away from behind the glow of the light, shadows crossing her red cheeks.

He felt comfort, oddly enough, sitting in the broom closet with Kagome. Normally, he felt on edge with Kagome and uncomfortable. But yet, sitting in the half-darkness with her was a strange comfort.

Perhaps the knowledge that Kagome was always conscious of his existence was what comforted him. He'd gone through his teenaged years thinking that he just drifted in and out of people's lives and didn't matter to anyone.

But, suddenly, he was the world to a little girl. And suddenly, there was a girl his age, his own classmate, his cousin's babysitter, who was always looking at him, not through him. A girl who looked at him without anger, without hatred, without disapproval. He excused the fact that she did it before… but she'd apologized for it, numerous times. She'd just been there.

She was always looking at him with her impossibly blue eyes.

But why wasn't she looking at him now?

"Look at me," he ordered.

He moved from out of the shadows, the light from the bulb above blinding him for just a moment before he could see her clearly. She scooted a bit, the light bathing her blue-black hair. The light wasn't blinding him.

"Look at me," he repeated, his eyebrows knitting together.

Kagome hesitantly lifted her head and looked at him.

It was almost like he was seeing her for the first time.

He could tell that she'd recently cried. Her blue eyes were watery and an incredible blue color. Her cheeks were colored a light red. Her lips were puffed from her frequent attempts to bite down on her lips and shamefully silence herself from tears.

Those blue eyes stared at him, the light reflecting in their depths.

Since when was Kagome beautiful? He knew that he'd never admit it to anyone, anytime, for any reason, but as he gazed at Kagome, he was overcome by the knowledge that Kagome _was_ pretty.

Why hadn't he realized it before?

He felt his lips splitting into a hesitant smile before he could stop himself and he looked at her.

That heart-breaking look on her face melted away instantly at the sight of his smile. She hadn't seen that smile in over a decade and it made everything up to that point easy to forget. The look on his face—with his lips curved upwards—was something she would treasure forever. He looked remarkably younger. When he frowned, he'd always looked so old.

But he looked like the young man he was when he smiled and his lavender eyes were almost soft.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

"Thank you," he whispered, the two words escaping his lips with some difficulty.

Kagome, still captivated by his smile, could only nod and murmur a soft "you're welcome."


	11. Chapter 11: Better Days

**Daughters  
Chapter Eleven: Better Days**

* * *

Monday morning dawned warm and sunny. Birds twittered in the trees outside the windows and clouds lolled lazily across the sky as if suspended by wavering string. The bright orb in the sky filtered through the dirtied glass and bathed the students lucky enough to be sitting near the window.

Students murmured to one another as their teacher prepared for the class, locating a piece of chalk in its designated place.

Cheek cushioned in the palm of his hand, Inuyasha watched the world outside lazily, his chance for freedom blocked by the layer of glass in the window. He watched the world outside through the glass, longing for the period to end but knowing that it wouldn't for a long time.

"Now, in preparation for your upcoming summer vacation," Mr. Kimoto explained as he began writing on the chalkboard, "I've compiled a list of readings you'll need completed by the beginning of second semester."

As he spoke, the Japanese literature teacher wrote out the said books on the green board, his handwriting crisp and pristine. Inuyasha stared out the window idly, watching the bright sun in the sky. It felt like summer now. It hadn't rained in days, and the sun was always out. He was looking forward to the nice, long break.

Briefly, he realized that the girl two rows across from him, blocking him from the window, was smiling brightly at him. It took him a moment to realize that the girl believed him to be staring at her, not out the window.

She giggled uneasily as his eyebrows furrowed and he turned his attention away. Just what he needed. Ever since Rin made her infamous appearance in the classroom (his apartment was close to the school, after all) the girls had been all atwitter with happiness. It was all the rage in the class to like Inuyasha, who, in their opinion was 'a loner who is afraid to show his true self.'

It was frustrating, to say the least. But Miroku seemed to be getting a kick out of it.

"Any questions?" Mr. Kimoto asked as he backed away from the board, revealing a list of two short stories and one book required for the second semester. When no hands rose with questions, the literature teacher nodded. "Okay, then let us continue on with the lesson, shall we?"

"Just the end of this week," Miroku spoke, poking Inuyasha in the back and leaning over his left shoulder. He grinned cheekily at his friend, who replied with only a raised eyebrow. "Then we're free until second semester."

"Yep," Inuyasha agreed, his voice just above a whisper.

He glanced over to his right and watched Kagome taking notes on whatever the teacher was teaching. They hadn't talked since their fiasco in the closet. The janitor had found them locked there, scolded them for skipping class, and shooed them along their merry way. When both showed up late to PE, there were rumors floating between their classmates, but no one came up to him. Kagome, on the other hand, was constantly being bombarded by her female classmates, wishing to dig out the details from their supposed 'secret rendezvous'.

"Got any plans?"

"Watch Rin the entire break?" Inuyasha asked offhandedly, shrugging his shoulders when Miroku tugged on his ear. "Ow, hey. Watch it."

After the bell rang, signaling the end of first period, Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief. Art was next, and that was the easiest class in the world. Mrs. Hiko rarely checked their 'assignments' and just had them draw and paint during the period. It was relaxing, even if Inuyasha couldn't paint his way out of a paper bag.

Miroku groaned and pushed his forehead against Inuyasha's back.

Inuyasha did not find this amusing. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," was Miroku's sassy reply.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, not finding the heart to shove the boy away. He was just too lazy to do much of anything, really. If the boy wanted to lean up against his back in a rather flamboyant expression of their friendship, then so be it. Maybe it would make the girls go away? Miroku draped his arms over Inuyasha's shoulders.

"Okay, that's enough," Inuyasha hissed, eyeing the hands gripping his shirt sleeves. "Cut it out."

"Shinkanshi-Kun?" a weak voice questioned. Inuyasha swiveled his head around and gave his female classmate a rather disbelieving look. He didn't talk to girls, except for Kagome and Rin, so seeing another girl standing before him was very strange.

Miroku's arm disappeared from his view and the weight of Miroku being draped over his body vanished as well, replaced with an awe-struck expression from his said friend. Miroku stared at the girl before shaking his head and offering the girl a large smile.

"Hino-San, what brings you over here?" Miroku asked smoothly, his smile widening.

The girl eyed him for a moment before giving him a tentative smile. She cleared her throat and returned her attention to Inuyasha, who continued to stare at her, completely baffled.

"Um…"

"What?" Inuyasha snapped out before he could stop himself. The girl looked surprised at his sudden, harsh reply and fumbled over her words.

"Sorry," she squeaked and cleared her throat. "But I… I heard that… that today is your birthday."

Inuyasha stared at her in shock. How could she have possibly known _that_? He didn't tell anyone personal information about himself, and certainly not little girls who didn't bother noticing him until he was 'transformed' into a loving and caring 'father'. No one listened when he said he wasn't loving or caring.

"How did you learn that?" Inuyasha growled.

"The school registry… it has everyone's birthdays listed," the girl said, gulping down a large lump in her throat. Her hands began to shake, rattling the small bag in her hands.

"Why would you care if it's my birthday?" Inuyasha asked skeptically.

The girl looked increasingly uncomfortable and shoved the bag into his hands. "Sorry!" she squeaked out again, turning to retreat to her desk on the other side. "I won't bother you again!"

Inuyasha watched her go doubtfully. He watched as she returned to her spot where she was quickly bombarded by her friends. The girls giggled and shot looks over at Inuyasha before turning back to the now grinning birthday-giver-girl.

"Dude, it's your birthday?" Miroku gasped out, his eyes wide. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't tell anyone," Inuyasha frowned. He stared at the bag the girl had given him.

"So, how old are you, anyway? Eighteen?"

"No, I was eighteen until seven this morning. I'm nineteen," Inuyasha said with pursed lips. He shoved the bag away and stared at the clock, wishing the bell would ring.

"What?" Miroku seemed shocked at his friend's true age. And he thought he was the older of the two boys. "Shouldn't you have already graduated, then?"

"No," Inuyasha said slowly, feeling a pounding behind his temples and eyes. A headache was coming. He hated headaches. "I was held back a year in elementary school. I wasn't smart enough, or some bullshit like that. So, I should be graduated and in college by now, but I'm not. So sue me."

"Oh, okay then," Miroku said with a shrug, plucking the bag from Inuyasha's table and inspecting what the girl had given him. He extracted a candle. "Oh, how thoughtful."

"You want it? Because I don't," Inuyasha muttered, eyeing the girls in the corner who stared at him with hawk eyes.

Miroku smiled and sniffed the candle. "Oh, it's vanilla, how nice." He nodded his head, put the candle back in the bag and tucked it into his desk. "Sure, thanks."

"Don't mention it," Inuyasha muttered as the bell rang.

* * *

'_Having PE third period is the worst,'_ Kagome thought miserably, _'Whoever thought putting PE right before lunch was a good idea should go jump in a river.'_

Art had breezed by, much to Kagome's sadness, leaving the girls and boys to segregate and move to their respected changing rooms. Kagome personally hated PE because she wasn't very athletic. Today was a running day, and they'd be timing everyone. And right before lunch, too.

Kagome groaned silently and pulled her PE shirt over her head and pulled on her ridiculously small PE shorts.

"Kagome," Ayame sang next to Kagome as she pulled her hair into pigtails and watched Kagome's own hair ascend into a high pony tail. "Did you know that it's Shinkanshi-Kun's birthday?"

"I heard when Ami-Chan gave him her present," Kagome murmured, feeling her face scrunch up. She'd been right there when their classmate approached Inuyasha. She leaned over and tied her shoes, trying her best to ignore Ayame as she gushed about Inuyasha. Wasn't she supposed to be in love with Yamasaki-Kun from class 3-2?

"Did you get him anything?" Ayame questioned as she pulled on her PE shoes. Kagome shook her head. "Why the hell not, Kagome-Chan? If you don't then he's going to think you hate him, or something."

"I know for a fact that Inuyasha would not hate me if I don't give him a present. Most likely he'd resent me if I _did_ get him something. He doesn't like to get attention, and I figure his birthday falls under too-much-attention-category," Kagome said with a tiny sigh. She turned to Sango, who'd remained silent up to that point. "Right?"

"I don't know Shinkanshi-Kun like you do, Kagome-Chan," Sango explained, ever the diplomat and pacifist of the group. "But I know that he doesn't like it when people pay him too much attention. I think it's best if we leave him alone."

"But that's so unromantic!" Ayame whined loudly.

"Not everyone's life is about romance, Ayame," Sango explained. "Just because Kagome works for Inuyasha, and just because they spend time together does not mean they're going to end up together. It's completely out of Inuyasha's character, I think, to want to be with someone."

Kagome sighed sadly, trailing behind her two friends as they left the locker room and headed towards the field where PE would be held that day. Her mind was heavy with thoughts and the bright sunlight made her squint as she followed after her friends.

Fifteen minutes later, the boys were lined up for their running course and the girls sat in the grass, watching and waiting for their own turn. Kagome huddled close to Sango and Ayame, watching the boys as they stretched and prepared for the start of their timing.

The first group of eight boys lined up in their respected lanes and awaited the teacher's signal. The six boys left over sat in the grass on the other side of the track and stretched out on the ground, pulling their toes towards their body to stretch out their hamstrings.

The group of sixteen girls squealed as the bell sounded and the group of boys raced out along their lane, racing against one another. The four hundred meter track stretched on before the boys rounded the corner and it was impossible to tell who was winning until they reached the next straight-away.

"Oh, look at Shinkanshi-Kun!" one girl whispered to her friend on Kagome's left. "I had no idea he was so fast!"

Sure enough, Inuyasha was well near the front, followed closely by Miroku, who only fell behind because he paused for just a second to wave at Sango. Kagome watched Inuyasha run and felt her back stiffen as the girls around her continually commented on the boys' appearances, but never their performances.

The boys reached the end of their four hundred meter run and slowed down to a stop, panting, their chests heaving. They tumbled off the track and the next group went on, followed by the squeals and coos of the girls as they observed their favorite male classmates racing one another.

Kagome rested her chin between the dip her two legs formed at the knees. She wrapped her arms around her shins, pulling them close and staring at the grassy ground idly.

After the first event was completed, the boys continued on, running eight hundred meters, a mile, one hundred meters, and finally hurtles. The entire time the girls continued to admire the boys, even after it was the girls' turn to run.

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid,'_ Kagome muttered to herself as she leapt over a hurtle—her final event. Her stomach screamed in protest, almost as loudly as the girls called out to the boys. Was everyone in her class insane? Even Ayame was sending looks Inuyasha's way. _'This entire day has been stupid!'_

She felt her face burn a bright red as she came to a stop at the finish line, finishing third out of her group of girls. Her blue eyes darted to Inuyasha, peeking through her black bangs. He wasn't looking at her—instead, he was talking with Miroku and pointedly ignoring the girls who hovered a short distance away.

What was wrong with teenagers?

Seriously.

* * *

Inuyasha glanced at his watch as he exited the school and walked across the courtyard, heading towards the school gates. "I'll be a little late today."

"Inuyasha!" a voice called behind him. Inuyasha paused in his step and groaned inwardly. Was _another_ girl coming to wish him a happy birthday? He was ready to strangle the next female who dared come near him. Every period they were slinking up to him and wishing him a happy birthday. Didn't they know that he wasn't _interested_ for God's sake?

He looked over his shoulder and stopped in his track as he saw Kagome approaching him, her cheeks flushed with her effort to catch up with him. Her bright yellow backpack slapped against her back and she panted as she reached up to him.

"What do you want, Kagome?" Inuyasha muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets and observing her with a critical eye.

"I just… wanted to know," she breathed deeply. "What time I need to come over tonight to watch Rin-Chan?"

Inuyasha frowned, wondering why it was he felt a small jab in his stomach. What was that?

He ran fingers through his unruly bangs and shrugged his shoulders. "Uh… Whenever you can, I suppose?"

Kagome gave him a thoughtful look, her lips quirked downwards. Blue eyes studied him and he jerked his head away, hating it when she looked at him with such deep blue eyes.

"Soon?" Inuyasha questioned.

"Okay." Kagome smiled, her blue eyes softening. "I'll see you then."

Inuyasha nodded his head and turned to leave, readjusting the straps of his book bag before retreating towards the school gate. He could feel Kagome's gaze on his back but didn't turn around to look at her.

"Inuyasha, wait," Kagome called and Inuyasha paused again.

"What is—?"

"Here," Kagome said behind him and he turned around to face her. She offered him a lemon tea she'd bought after school to give to him. "I thought that maybe you'd like this," Kagome said gently, offering him a smile. He plucked it from her hand and stared at it like it was the elixir of life. "You're welcome."

He stared at it a moment longer before pulling the tab and opening it. Taking a long sip, he released a tiny sigh and wiped his mouth.

For a brief moment Kagome could have sworn she saw a shadow of a smile on his face, but she wasn't sure. She smiled brightly at him and watched as he walked ahead of her. She trailed behind him, watching the way the wind ruffled his uniform. She gripped her hands together and felt her smile widen.

They reached the gate and Inuyasha turned towards the direction of Rin's kindergarten. From their position, Kagome could see Inuyasha's apartment building not far from the school. He lived so close but it took him such a long time to get home because of Rin's school.

"Oh," Inuyasha snapped his fingers and dug around his pockets before extracting his house key. "Here," he said and offered her the small golden key. "You can head over to my house. If you can, make some food, Rin will be hungry."

"Sure," Kagome said lightly. Any excuse not to go to her home.

He nodded again and headed in the opposite direction, the wind ruffling his uniform and his short, black hair. He took another sip of his lemon tea and Kagome watched him go, her eyes never leaving him until he turned a corner and disappeared from her view.

"Happy birthday, Inuyasha," Kagome murmured before turning on her heel and heading towards his apartment.

* * *

"Inu-oniichan," Rin's voice filtered into Inuyasha's ear later that night. He blinked groggily and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He observed Rin for a long moment before tugging on his black hair, as if to make sure she hadn't removed any of it like last time.

"What?" Inuyasha questioned, his voice throaty and scratchy. He swallowed, trying to banish the strange sensation of a titillated mouth.

"Kagome-Chan told me it was your birthday," Rin murmured, she grasped his shirt sleeve and tugged. "Happy birthday."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Inuyasha breathed, a large whoosh of air retreating from his lungs as he flopped down onto his bed.

"Kagome-Chan told me you didn't like all the attention you got today because of your birthday," Rin explained quietly, her voice squeaking. "And she told me that you might get angry if I wish you a happy birthday right away. So I waited."

Inuyasha grunted, stuffing his head underneath his pillow.

"Okay," Inuyasha sighed defeated, staring at his white sheets. "I'm not angry."

"Good," Rin chirped and felt her face widen into a large smile.

* * *

"Wooo!" Miroku declared loudly as the bell signaling the end of class rang. He launched from his seat, hands waving in the air. "Summer vacation! Finally!"

Mr. Yuuki stared at Miroku incredulously from his English textbook, his eyes narrowed angrily as he stared at the disruption created by the boy.

"Finally!" Miroku said again, grinning ear to ear.

"Endo, if you would be so kind as to wait until I've dismissed you before expressing your happiness for the end of school, I'd like to assign you your homework," the English teacher spoke in fluent English, though still with the Osaka accent of his youth.

Miroku paused in his hurray-for-summer dance at the sound of his teacher's request and the giggles of nearby girls. His grin still in place, Miroku sunk back down into his seat and cheerfully said an apology in English.

After the homework was assigned and the students were dismissed from their class, it was pure pandemonium. Students launched from their classrooms, trying to leave the school as quickly as possible so they could enjoy their weeks of vacation and downtime.

Inuyasha was among them, though just so he could go and pick up Rin earlier.

* * *

Rin smiled happily as she saw her cousin appear in the school's courtyard. She beamed and toddled over to him, weaving between parents and their children.

"Lookth," Rin whistled, her words with a strange slur. She produced a small, white chunk in her hand and showed it proudly to Inuyasha. "Ith losth a foof."

Sure enough, Rin's beam revealed her front tooth missing and, instead, resting alone in her hand. Inuyasha regarded it for a moment before placing his hand on top of her head and ruffling her hair. When she giggled, he quickly removed his hand and produced a small 'keh'.

"Ith bif into ath athle," Rin clarified. It took Inuyasha a moment to realize that Rin ate an apple that pulled her loose tooth out. Oh.

"Good for you," Inuyasha said and shrugged his shoulders. "Let's get home." He placed a hand on her back and guided her towards the exit. "We don't want to lose it or else the tooth fairy won't come."

Rin's eyes sparkled.

* * *

_Author's notes:_ Sorry this chapter was kind of lame. It was a transition into the next chapters. This story is winding down. Thank God.


	12. Chapter 12: Hand Me Down

**Daughters  
Chapter Twelve: Hand Me Down**

* * *

_The sun hid behind clouds. It looked as if it were going to rain. Kagome Higurashi sat at the kitchen table, scribbling away at her homework. Souta sat playing with his Game Boy. Her mother was in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the three of them—four of them, supposedly, if her father ever returned from wherever he was. _

_Save for Souta's giggles, pencils hitting paper, and knifes slicing through vegetables, the apartment was completely silent. There seemed to be a tension in the air that Kagome couldn't place. Perhaps she didn't want to place it. _

_She wasn't sure what it was, but she didn't like it._

_It'd been happening for what felt like months now. There was always this thick, tangible tension in the air, suspended on strings. Kagome could always feel its presences whenever her mother was alone, or in the presence of her father. It was becoming unbearable, especially when her two parents started fighting in the middle of the night when they thought their children were asleep._

_Kagome wet her lips and decided to break the silence. She was hungry. _

"_Where's Dad?" Kagome questioned as she glanced down at her homework. She hated math. But she had work to do. The thirteen-year-old scrunched up her face and scribbled out her answer, knowing that it was wrong but unsure how to make it right. _

"_Out," her mother responded, her back rigid. "With friends, I suppose."_

"_I thought it was his turn to cook tonight," Kagome supplied and watched her mother cut vegetables curtly. "Mama?"_

"_Yes, Kagome dear, your father was supposed to cook tonight," Mrs. Higurashi said tensely. Kagome felt that she'd made a mistake bringing her father up. Her mother was always on edge, and naturally a very nervous person. _

_Souta laughed again. "I win!"_

_Kagome turned in her chair to look at her little brother playing on the hand-held video game. He looked up at Kagome, pride glowing in his eyes. He smiled brightly, revealing a lost tooth in the corner of his mouth. _

_Kagome loved her little brother. He was a sweet, well-mannered little boy. He was always smiling. Nothing ever seemed to bother him, nothing at all. That's why, more than anything else, Kagome hated to see her parents fight. It confused and worried Souta, and the little boy was not someone who was supposed to feel confused and worried. Souta was a boy who was supposed to always be happy and to always be smiling. She prayed that her parents wouldn't fight tonight. _

"_Good job, Souta," Kagome said lightly, flashing him a large smile. Souta chirped happily, his eyes glowing warmly. _

_Kagome turned back to her homework, realized she'd never understand the math, and closed her math book. She'd ask her teacher tomorrow morning before school started to see if she could get a little bit of help. If not, she'd ask her best friend, Sango. _

_They heard a key enter a lock._

"_Daddy's home!" Souta declared loudly, scrambling to his feet. Game Boy forgotten, Souta raced from the room towards the foyer, where their father was making his grand appearance. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"_

"_Hey, Souta," his father said warmly, scooping up the little boy and giving him a bear hug—as he was opt to do whenever Souta tumbled his way into his arms. After a brief moment, Mr. Higurashi set down his son and patted his back, urging him to return to the kitchen where dinner was ready._

"_Honey, you're home," Kagome's mother said. Kagome couldn't miss the anger she barely concealed. "How was work?"_

"_Same old. Traffic was horrible. I would have called, but, I had no service," Mr. Higurashi said with a shrug, ignoring his wife's terse reply. He slipped off his jacket and hung it on a hook. He saw Kagome, staring at him. "Hey sweetie."_

"_Hello, dad," Kagome said evenly, staring at the man she barely knew. Her father seemed to never be around. He was either out, with friends, on business trips, or working long hours._

_For years, her father had worked out of the country for a company in America. Mrs. Higurashi, who didn't want to leave her home and take her children away from their schools in Japan, stayed behind to watch the children. From the time that Kagome was four to the time that she was twelve, she only saw her father on holidays, if that._

_But his job returned to Japan and he, with it. But she still rarely saw her father. Truth was, she didn't know a single thing about the man. He was like a ghost that drifted through her life every so often and she was stuck watching him float through walls and through her mind at random intervals. _

_She didn't know her father. And she never would want to know him again._

_

* * *

_

_Kagome felt as if she would never sleep again. It happened occasionally. She'd be peacefully sleeping when, all of a sudden, her parents' screaming would awaken her. Her mother and father fought a lot, especially recently. To her, who had a much bigger bias towards her mother, believed her father was a bit on edge recently, and a bit more conceited. Her mother, on the other hand, rarely had enough nerve to stand up for herself completely, unless pushed._

_Tonight, it seemed, she'd been pushed. _

"_Why the hell do you mean you have to leave?" Kagome heard her mother scream through the walls. She huddled into a corner of her bed, hiding beneath her blankets. Outside, the thunder rumbled and lightning struck in the distance. Kagome shivered and whimpered, wishing that her parents would stop fighting. "Where the hell do you go every night? Huh?"_

"_What the fuck, woman? Can't you give me a moment's peace!" her father's voice roared, his words rumbling Kagome's soul far more effectively than the thunder and lightning ever could. "Just leave me the fuck alone!" _

"_You're never around when I need you!" Mrs. Higurashi pressed, her voice cracking as she forced down some tears. "You're always out somewhere. Do you even care about the life you have here? Do you even care about your children? Your wife?"_

"_What is with the third-degree, woman?" her father snapped. "I have work to do! I'm supplying money to the family."_

"_I find it very interesting that, with the amount of days you work, we rarely see a cent of that money. Where does it go, huh?" _

"_That is none of your fucking business! I'm taking care of the money. You've got plenty of it, why do you need to take my money away from me? Why can't you just butt the fuck out of my business and let me live in peace? I get money. I keep the money. It's my damned money!"_

"_But what about your family?" Mrs. Higurashi stressed. "Don't they mean a thing to you?'_

"_Don't be stupid," Mr. Higurashi snapped. "Of course they matter. But I matter, too."_

"_Who's more important? The family? Or yourself?" _

_Kagome almost heard her father release a chuckle, but it was so soft that Kagome couldn't say for sure that she'd even heard it. She hated it when her parents fought, especially over money._

"_You have money to take care of the kids. That's all you need, right? Why should I even bother coming home?"_

"_Do you even care about your children? Kagome rarely sees you anymore!" Her mother was growing more and more hysterical and Kagome could hear it in her wavering voice. "You spend all this time with Souta. But never with Kagome. Kagome doesn't even know you."_

"_Who the fuck cares about that kid?"_

_That kid._

_That kid…? _

_Kagome sniffled, finally feeling the tears collect in the corner of her eyes and spill down over her cheeks. That kid. That was all she ever was to her father. She didn't even know her father. At that moment, she could have hated her father; she wasn't sure what it felt like. She wasn't sure what hating her own father entailed. _

"_That kid?" her mother screeched, voicing Kagome's thoughts. "What kind of father are you? She's our daughter! Kagome is our daughter. She's not just _some_ kid, you asshole."_

"_I've got more important things to do than to come home and listen to you give me shit about having a social life. Unlike you, I do have friends!" Mr. Higurashi roared angrily._

"_How dare you? I would have friends too, but my children are far more important to me than having a couple beers with my buddies, you know!" _

_Kagome inhaled deeply, releasing her breath one shaking sob at a time. Tears rolled down her cheeks and blue eyes stared at her toes wearily. She hated to hear her parents fighting. Sometimes, like now, it got so bad that her parents seemed to forget that she was still in the house, no longer sleeping. _

_She swallowed a lump that lodged itself in her throat and tried her best to breathe through her heart-wrenching sobs and her sharp intakes for air. She didn't like her parents fighting. What about little Souta? Thank goodness he was at a friend's house tonight or else he wouldn't be able to sleep at all. _

"_Are you implying that all I ever do is sit at a bar and drink alcohol?"_

"_Well, if not that, then what?" Mrs. Higurashi questioned tensely._

"_Fuck you, woman, fuck you," the man snarled and Kagome heard the distinct noise of a hand hitting against flesh. Kagome wasn't sure who threw the punch until she felt a soft body collide with her wall and the sounds of her mother sobbing on the other side, just on the other side of her wall... _

"_Just back the fuck out of my business," she heard her father snarl, "and we'll both be happy."_

_Kagome didn't sleep for weeks after that. Every time she tried, she remembered the terrifying sounds of her mother's sobs blended in with the sounds of thunder as her father slammed the front door shut._

_

* * *

_

"Kagome, get me a glass of water?" Abi questioned, gazing squarely at her almost-stepdaughter. Kagome paused in her thoughts and tapped her mechanical pencil against her homework. She was stuck spending the first weekend of her summer vacation watching over her almost-stepmother who, supposedly, couldn't walk on her own on account of her swollen ankles.

Kagome obeyed, unable to say anything against the woman for fear of what she might tell her father. She swallowed and filled a large glass with tap water before retreating to the living room where the young twenty-eight-year-old sat. Kagome hated Abi. But she especially hated the fact that they were only ten years apart.

Her father, a man of fifty-two, marrying a twenty-eight-year-old, was wrong on so many levels for Kagome that she wasn't sure how she could function properly knowing that her father was practically a pedophile. And for Abi to marry a man who was twenty-four years her senior…

"Oh, is this from the tap?" Abi questioned, observing the water.

"Yes," Kagome said, already knowing what Abi would say.

"Could you get me bottled water instead?" Abi asked, smiling charmingly at the girl.

Kagome said nothing, simply snatched the glass from her father's fiancée's hands and spilling water all over Abi's lap. Abi released a tiny squeak of surprise as her fat belly moved in an attempt to get away—as if the water would injure her precious unborn child.

"Kagome!" Abi demanded, her light tone instantly dissolving into a menacing and annoyed tone. "Be more careful!"

"It's only water."

"_Kagome_," Abi hissed.

"Sorry," Kagome mumbled, wishing that she could say the things she wanted to say. She carried the water to the kitchen and threw the glass into the sink. The glass shattered, releasing a large-scale crack that reverberated throughout the entire apartment. Glass shards danced in the sink, twinkling in the early morning sunlight and the stray water left in the white sink.

"Shit," Kagome cursed quietly, then prayed that Abi hadn't heared; Abi had a thing about swearing in front of her child.

"Kagome!" Abi demanded, sounding just as mean as before. "What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"Sorry," Kagome whispered, "it slipped."

"I can't hear you, young lady!"

"I said you suck," Kagome muttered to herself. She cleared her throat. "I said," she called out, louder this time, "that the glass slipped."

"Well, be more careful next time, you clumsy girl."

"Yes, Abi," Kagome said with clenched teeth, her hands rolling into fists as she tried to banish the ill thoughts she felt for the young woman. The young woman who was going to be her mother as soon as Kagome's future little half-brother or half-sister was born.

Kagome felt terrible about the thoughts she harbored for her stepmother, but it couldn't be helped. People often scoffed at her tales of an evil almost-stepmother, thinking that she was imagining things and just hated the idea of her father being with someone other than her mother. And Abi did have her moments, and she seemed to make her father happy. But she wasn't happy. And neither was Souta.

Why did things have to be this way?

Abi was never outwardly mean, she was just condescending and gave her looks that suggested Abi believed Kagome to be a mere, immature little girl.

Kagome sighed and brushed her long, black bangs from her eyes. The blue orbs observed her father's pregnant bride-to-be.

Happiness seemed almost impossible at this point.

* * *

"_Mama?" Kagome murmured as she heard a door slam open just outside her own door. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, yawning. She'd fallen asleep doing her homework again. Her mother was working late that night, so maybe she was home at this point?_

_She glanced at her clock on her desk. The second hand ticked by slowly, showing her that it was a bit after midnight. Shielding a yawn with her small hand, Kagome scooted away from her desk, standing. _

"_Mama?" she said again, opening her door and stumbling out into the hallway like a drunk did after one too many beers. _

"_Kagome, don't come in," her mother demanded. _

_Kagome didn't listen and peaked her head in and stared in shock as her father pulled on a pair of pants, trying to shield the young college intern lying naked in his bed from his middle-aged wife. Mrs. Higurashi stared in shock as the twenty-two-year-old Abi rose from the bed, the sheets pooling away from her and revealing the shapely body of a young woman—free of wrinkles, sagging, or aged spots. _

_Mrs. Higurashi stared in horror at her husband. _

"_In my bed," she wheezed out, tears pooling into her eyes. _

_Mr. Higurashi seemed unfazed. He watched Abi as she lazily began dressing herself. His eyes roved hungrily over the young woman's body, taking in every dip and curve he'd already memorized by that point. _

_Kagome wasn't sure what to make of it, but she'd watched enough sitcoms and movies to know that something was seriously wrong. The thirteen-year-old knew that Abi was not her mother, duh, and she also knew that her father had done something terrible; her father was having an affair with her mother. _

"_In my bed," Mrs. Higurashi repeated, tears spilling down her eyes. _

_Mr. Higurashi said nothing in his defense. In fact, his eyes never left Abi, even after the woman was dressed and, with swaying hips, slipped up next to the man, her hand trailing lazily over his bicep. _

_Kagome's mother seemed to curl up into herself. She backed away, her back falling against the wall and she bowed her head, releasing the tiniest of sobs as she tried to muffle her cries. Kagome watched, horrified, as her mother died right in front of her, watching the only man she ever loved being caressed by a woman over twenty years younger. _

_Kagome watched in horror as the new couple stared at one another lovingly and the sobbing, broken figure of her mother wrenched itself away from the wall and ran from the apartment, slamming the door behind her._

_Kagome would never see her alive again. _

* * *

"I got a letter from Souta today," Kagome said over dinner, swallowing Abi's disgusting food with bitter difficulty. Kagome's father perked up, seeming genuinely interested in his son's wellbeing. Abi picked at her food, seemingly unimpressed with her own culinary abilities. "He seems to be doing well."

"He'd better be with all the money we're putting into his reformation," Abi said with a tiny hint of bitterness. She hid her grimace behind her water glass as she took a deep drink from the glass cup. Kagome barely hid a hideous glare at her father's fiancée.

"How is Souta?" Mr. Higurashi questioned, ignoring Abi's comment and Kagome's poorly masked glare.

"He's doing well," Kagome repeated, setting down her fork and frowning thoughtfully. "His grades are good."

"It's a good thing we sent him to that school, right honey?" Abi asked lightly, touching the older man's arm. The man nodded and smiled at the woman, seeming genuinely happy for the woman's company.

Kagome silently scoffed, staring at her dry slab of chicken breast.

"He's making friends."

"We didn't send him there to make friends," Abi said airily, drinking from her glass again.

"It's only natural," Kagome said tensely, trying to control her temper; screaming at Abi would only get her in trouble, after all, "that Souta would want to make friends, Abi."

"But that is not why we sent him there," she countered, seeming to pick up on Kagome's patronizing tone. She gave Kagome a rather ugly look that seemed to remain unnoticed by Mr. Higurashi. "We sent them there so he could work out his behavioral problem."

"The nonexistent one," Kagome muttered.

"What was that?"

Kagome lifted her head and felt the tension ripple between the two women. How dare this woman march into her life and pretend to be her mother? There was barely an age difference between them. Kagome felt Abi's dark looks but chose to ignore them as best she could. She felt anger bubble within her gut and her heart wrench painfully in her chest, thumping against her ribcage like a snare drum.

"I said that Souta doesn't have a behavioral problem and he never has," Kagome whispered.

"Is that so?" Abi said, feeling anger and her own turbulent hormones dance around inside her, doing a dreadfully dangerous tango.

"Yes," Kagome said again, feeling her fists clench under the table.

"Souta had a terrible behavioral problem, and your father made the right decision to send him away. I don't think he much appreciates your snobbish tone about his decisions. It would be better to thank your father for having your best interests at heart. You're lucky to have him as a father. Souta should be grateful. Such a problem child, nothing was ever good enough for him."

"Will you just shut up?" Kagome demanded before she could stop herself. She stood up, her chair scraping against the ground and her hands planting on the wooden table. Abi and her father stared at her, shocked at such an outburst.

"Excuse me?" Abi looked properly scandalized.

"I am so _sick_ of hearing you preach about how ungrateful we are and how great everything is! Nothing is perfect. Souta was fine just the way he was! There was nothing wrong with him. So he didn't like you? So he didn't listen to you? So what? At least Souta had his own will to realize a witch when he saw one!"

"Kagome!" her father gasped but Kagome ignored him, so deep in her own anger.

"Souta didn't bend his back for you and so then he'd have to have something wrong with him! If no one treats you like the damned princess that you are then there's got to be something wrong. Well, you successfully banished my brother, Princess Abi," Kagome gasped out mockingly, trying to fight back the onslaught of tears prickling behind her angered blue eyes.

"Kagome stop this instant," her father said, standing.

"Princess Abi," Kagome continued mockingly, giving her a low, mocking bow. "This kingdom is yours. But you will never make me your loyal citizen! How dare you march into our lives and ruin everything! We were just fine without you."

"Stop now," Abi ordered.

"You're not my mother!" Kagome hissed angrily, marching up to Abi. "You will never be my mother. You will always be the stupid woman who slept with my dad and completely ruined my life! I hope you're happy."

Her father stared in horror as Abi lifted her hand and slapped Kagome's cheek, knocking the girl off her stride for half a second.

"Learn some manners, you ignorant child," Abi hissed, feeling anger boil inside herself as well. She glared at the younger girl, undoubtedly thinking up ways to punish the girl for her impudence.

Kagome's eyes burned and she balled her fist, throwing a punch towards her future stepmother. Abi gasped and recoiled, hitting the wall.

"You killed my mother!" Kagome screamed.

"Kagome!" her father shouted, grasping Kagome's shoulder tightly.

Kagome wrenched away, the tears finally spilling down her cheeks.

"No!" she screeched, turned heel, and ran.

"Kagome!" her father shouted. Her name seemed to be the only thing that he was capable of saying. He chased after her, but Kagome was too quick. She slammed her door shut and turned the lock with an audible click. Her father slammed against the door trying to open it.

"You heard her! You saw her!" Abi screeched. "Such a terrible child! She's a disaster! She's a nuisance! She's a appalling spoiled brat. Honey, you can't possibly stand for this. You saw her raise her fist towards me!"

"Kagome, open this door," her father ordered, dangerously calm. He pounded his fist against the door in a way that suggested attempted gentleness, but Kagome was not fooled. She snorted ruefully.

"Kagome, listen to your father!" Abi demanded, failing to remain silent and force herself into disciplining her future stepdaughter.

"Open this door," her father repeated. Kagome didn't answer.

The said girl couldn't answer.

Kagome sat, rooted to the floor, staring at her fist in shock. Normally, she would never do such a thing. She would never resort to violence. But she was just so stressed, just so angry… at everything. Nothing was sane or normal anymore.

Kagome stared out her window on the opposite wall, watching figures in the windows in the building on the other side of the alley. A couple sat on a bed, talking. A child watched TV. A Cat lazily lounged on the windowsill. Were they happy?

What was happiness?

She felt like a hand-me-down sweater. She huddled into a corner, hiding her face. She'd made a mistake. Her father now had all the reason to truly hate her. Her father never tried to love her. Never tried to let her be herself. He was trying to keep her on a short leash, trying to reel her in like a thrashing fish on a line.

Hook, line, and sinker.

Oh, how she wanted her father to look at her with the same admiration he granted Abi and Souta.

Why was she hated?

She ignored the pounding of a door behind her, feeling her body sink slower and slower into lethargic depression. She huddled in a ball on the floor, listening to the sounds of her pounding heart and feeling tears slip from her blood-shot eye.

Dreams were so real and yet so hard to reach.

She dreamed, once, that she could be happy with her father. That, despite her mother's death, she could find happiness with her father. But her father didn't want her. Abi didn't want her.

At this point, Kagome didn't even want herself.

Who could want her?

She smiled bitterly.

Who would want her, ever?

* * *

"_Kagome?" her father questioned, opening the door. Kagome gazed at him, her blue eyes blinking. The events of the night previous still haunted her and she'd failed to fall asleep again. Bags hung under her eyes like lead weights. "I have… bad news."_

"_Oh?" Kagome whispered. _

"_Last night," her father began, inching awkwardly into his unknown daughter's room and sitting down uncomfortably on her bed. Kagome observed him silently. "Your mother left the apartment and went wandering around town."_

"_I know," Kagome said bitterly, recalling the memory of her mother's sobbing body scrambling from the building complex. Her father cleared his throat. _

"_She was…" her father paused, observing his daughter. "Killed."_

_Kagome could sense that her father was leaving things out of the tale, but some how, she'd expected something like this when her father entered the room and confessed to bad news. _

"_Oh," she said weakly, her entire body shaking. _

"_Some men…" her father began and trailed off. Kagome knew he wasn't sad for the woman's death but more like he was guilty for what had sent the woman spiraling down the Tokyo streets in the middle of the night. "Wanted her money. She didn't have any… they…"_

"_Oh," Kagome said again, cutting her father off before he could continue. Kagome lowered her eyes. _

_She didn't hear her father get up and leave. It seemed like the world was crashing in around her and leaving her in a vast expansion of nothingness. Darkness folded in around her and she wasn't sure what to make of the situation. _

_She swallowed. _

_She didn't cry. Tears stayed locked up behind her eyes._

_It wasn't until the funeral three days later, when she saw her mother lying in the casket, that Kagome broke down in front of hundreds of family and friends and wept bitterly, screaming out for her mother who could no longer answer her and never would answer her again. _


	13. Chapter 13: In My Head

**Daughters  
Chapter Thirteen: In My Head**

* * *

Kagome sighed as she stared sourly at the lines of boxes of different cereals. Rin clutched her right hand tightly and in her left, Kagome clutched a plastic basket filled with the food Inuyasha instructed her to pick up while he was at work. She scratched her head and yawned, feeling drained and sluggish. Ever since she blew up at her father and _that woman_, she'd felt less than one hundred percent.

She released Rin's hand briefly to cover her mouth, releasing a large yawn. She bent down and reclaimed the girl's small hand. Rin beamed up at her, unaware of Kagome's inner turmoil and sadness.

Mr. Higurashi hadn't spoken to his daughter in days. The apartment was eerily quite whenever she entered the room. Abi ignored her completely, weeping occasionally about the pain in her bruised cheek. Kagome had a sneaking suspicion that her future stepmother was hamming it up, but had no way to prove it without looking like a spiteful brat.

"Which cereal would you like, Rin-Chan?" Kagome questioned, wishing that she could just lie down and fall asleep instead of watching Rin, no matter how adorable and well-mannered the girl was.

"That one," Rin bubbled and pointed a bad excuse for a breakfast cereal. Kagome recognized it as the one Inuyasha bought for Rin, despite his utter dislike for the sugar-infested stuff. Kagome smiled slightly and grabbed the brightly colored box and plopping it into the basket. "Yay!"

Kagome laughed and moved down the aisle, searching for the next item on the list.

"Rin, why don't you get the vegetables while I get the chicken?" Rin beamed at her babysitter's suggestion and toddled away, nearly knocking over a display of canned food in her excitement to please Kagome.

Kagome laughed quietly at the girl's enthusiasm and moved towards the butcher in the back of the grocery store. She moved slowly, wishing that she could just lie down and sleep. Things were so slow moving it seemed. Her father wasn't speaking to her. Abi was probably searching for the perfect boarding school for her. Inuyasha was just as jerky as he ever was, as was his nature (to which Kagome had come to accept). Sango and Ayame were away for the summer. She felt so incredibly alone, save for Rin's comforting and somewhat healing presence whenever she had the pleasure of watching over the sweet little child.

"I'm back!" Rin announced proudly as the girl, did, in fact, reappear, holding a large bag of carrots, celery, green beans, and peppers, as Inuyasha's list instructed.

"Welcome back," Kagome greeted the little girl, gratefully taking the food from her hands and putting it into the basket. She observed the piling of food and felt her arm shake at the weight. "Maybe we should go get a cart?"

Rin, delighted at the idea, darted away, with Kagome on her heels. They reached the front of the store, where Kagome pulled all the food from the basket and into the cart. Wheeling it away with Rin tugging on her skirt, Kagome felt a small amount of peace filter into her. Rin had a calming affect.

"Kagome-Chan," Rin whined, tugging on Kagome's skirt. Kagome paused in her descent down an aisle way to look down at her young charge. "Can I ride in the cart?"

"I think you may be too big for the seat," Kagome said critically, observing the uncomfortable looking seat designed for young toddlers. Rin gave her a stricken expression. "But you can probably ride in the part with the food," Kagome said, folding under Rin's impossibly adorable expression. "Just this once."

"Yay!" Rin chirped happily, sending Kagome a thousand-watt smile. Kagome laughed, despite herself, and plucked the child up when the girl lifted her arms. With a care granted only to someone carrying a small, precious child, Kagome set the little girl into the cart amid the food.

Kagome felt her lips quiver into a large smile, returning the girl's bright beam. Rin was, without a doubt, the sweetest little girl she'd ever met. She had the ability to make anyone smile (even Inuyasha, which was truly an achievement in itself). Kagome laughed softly at the thought of Rin's effect on everyone around her. No one could stand up against the little girl's charm.

Kagome ruffled the girl's brown-black hair affectionately. Rin chirped happily and giggled as they continued their shopping. Rin was loved, and loved everyone in return. It almost inspired Kagome to love everything around her.

After all, Abi almost seemed nice to Inuyasha. Inuyasha, despite his inability to say no to Rin, was still very much a loner and outsider. He hated venturing out too far and hated thinking of ever finding peace and love in the world of heartless humans. But, at the same time, Kagome could see a sparkle of concern for Rin's wellbeing deep within his soul, even though he tried his hardest to stifle it under his attitude.

'_Inuyasha could make anyone look like a saint,'_ she thought with a fond smile. She laughed quietly to herself and ignored Rin's quizzical look.

Rin could be happy with someone like Inuyasha, who, despite his obvious care for Rin, was still no saint. Perhaps, if Kagome tried hard enough, she could find solace in her own household and come to terms with Abi…?

* * *

Armed with her new resolve to make peace with Abi, Kagome slipped into the apartment and slipped off her shoes. Smiling she walked down the hallway towards the joint kitchen and family room. Abi sat, reading a book with the television on in the background. Her feet, complete with swollen ankles, perched precariously on the coffee table before her.

"Hello," Kagome said, blinking at her future stepmother. The woman turned a page, finished a paragraph, marked her page, and shut the book. Swiveling her head, she observed Kagome like a person did a troublesome peddle in a shoe.

"Ah, Kagome. Just in time. Could you get me some water?" Abi questioned and opened her book again. "And make sure it's bottled water, not tap."

Kagome, slightly damped by Abi's greeting, relented and moved to the kitchen, pouring her father's fiancée a glass of bottled water. Returning to the young woman's side, Kagome handed the glass cup to the woman.

Abi drank, set down the glass, and started reading again. In the background, a Korean game show played obnoxious music and crowds screamed happily. Kagome watched it dully, unsure what to make of this. Her change of heart was quickly changing right back around again. Abi didn't want anything to do with her.

"While you're up," Abi began, watching as Kagome began sitting down in a chair. "Could you get me a bag of ice? My cheek hurts so much from your unruly display the other night."

Kagome sighed and hoisted herself up, standing. She gave Abi a blank look before obeying, moving to the kitchen and doing as she was commanded. She bit her lip and scooped out some ice with her bare hands, throwing them into a plastic zip-lock bag. Returning to the woman for the second time, she handed over the ice bag.

"You do know that I need a cloth to wrap around it, or else I will get far too cold," Abi said dramatically, throwing the ice bag back at Kagome. Kagome swallowed a bitter remark before going back to the kitchen to get a towel.

Kagome gave the towel to her future stepmother and watched the woman bitterly. Swallowing her pride, Kagome squared her shoulders. If she wanted to be happy, she'd have to make sacrifices.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said suddenly. "For hitting you."

Abi eyed her as she pressed the ice bag to her cheek. She didn't say anything for a long moment, and Kagome wondered what was going through that woman's head.

"Hm," she said finally. "Apology accepted. Maybe that will teach you to be such a rude and spoilt brat."

Kagome swallowed thickly, feeling her fury ripple within her. She forced a smile on her face and knew that it looked forced—but she didn't care. She had to make peace with Abi. It was the right thing to do.

"So where is it that you go to, Kagome?" Abi asked unexpectedly. "Making your boyfriend miserable?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," Kagome bit out harshly, giving her father's fiancée a dirty look. "I baby-sit for one of my classmates."

"One of your classmates has a child?" Abi asked, seeming genuinely surprised despite the fact that Kagome had already told both her father and Abi about Inuyasha and Rin. "How lewd."

"Hardly, I baby-sit his cousin, who's an orphan now," Kagome said, wishing she could instill a sense of guilt in the older woman.

"Ah, winning a man's heart through children. How quaint. How devious," Abi complimented, but it was nothing that Kagome wanted to be complimented for.

"I am doing no such thing. He pays me well and Inuyasha's my friend," Kagome said harshly.

"Not your boyfriend?"

"Certainly not," Kagome said, looking scandalized.

Abi hummed. "Yes, it would be impossible for you to get a boyfriend, anyway."

"Excuse me?" Kagome hissed, feeling all hopes of making amends with Abi fly out the window faster than they'd flown into her heart. She couldn't believe she'd actually wanted to be on good terms with this wretched woman!

"Look at you," Abi said with a wave of her hand, indicating Kagome's body. "On top of your spoiled nature, you're not the prettiest flower in the park, Kagome."

Kagome stared at her almost stepmother in abject horror.

"And what about you?" Kagome snapped, feeling her calm fly away with her, quickly on the heels of Kagome's resolve. "Couldn't get a guy your own age so you had to sleep with an old man? Robbing the grave, are you?"

Abi's eyes narrowed.

"Why would a woman like you want an old man in the first place?" Kagome pretended to muse over the idea. "Especially one who's so successful and wealthy. It would definitely set you up for a mighty fortune once he kicks the bucket."

"What are you implying?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm implying," Kagome shot back, giving her future stepmother a most unbecomingly smug smile.

"You insolent little…" Abi trailed off, giving the teenager a look.

Kagome folded her arms. "What?"

"I think I realize why you keep lashing out at me, sweet Kagome," Abi said, giving her a pseudo look of pity.

"And why's that?" Curiosity got the better of Kagome.

"Why, look at you. You're, as I already said, not a very nice catch. You're not thin, like I am. And your hair is rather dull. And your eyes are too close together." Kagome stared at her. "And your smile is lopsided. No, not very pretty in the least. On top of these obvious physical disadvantages, you are not a very charming person to be acquainted with."

Kagome knew that she shouldn't let what Abi said get to her. But, despite the fact she knew that Abi was only doing this for the purpose of making her feel terrible, all of Kagome's preexisting insecurities piled on top of her, weighing her down.

"No one would want you," Abi said at last. "Ever."

"Wha…"

"You look like a fish with your mouth open like that."

Kagome clapped her mouth shut.

"It's no wonder your father can't wait for you to leave this house," Abi said, opening her book with a snap and turning the television off, where someone had just won thousands of dollars in prizes. "You're a nuisance."

That cut her.

What started off as an attempt to make things better in the Higurashi household melted away into a blatant attempt to drag Kagome down. And it worked.

She thought of Inuyasha, and the way he skirted away from her and snapped at her. She ignored the fact that he did that to everyone. That wasn't important right now.

Who _would_ want her, anyway?

* * *

"You look like shit," Inuyasha announced the next day as he opened the door to see a rather displeased Kagome.

She gave him a stricken expression before ducking her head. "I didn't sleep well."

Inuyasha stepped backwards, opening the door for her. She trudged in, slipping off her shoes and kicking them next to Rin's little sneakers. Kagome sighed and unbuttoned her jacket slowly, feeling lethargic and unwanted.

"Oy," Inuyasha said, planting his hands on his hips which reminded Kagome very much of Souta. "What's wrong with you?"

"Where's Rin?" Kagome questioned instead of answering Inuyasha. The said boy frowned deeply as Kagome left him standing awkwardly in the foyer and made to search out the little girl who could brighten anyone's day.

"I tried to call you," Inuyasha called out and Kagome turned around, watching as he approached her, looking very tired in his work uniform. "Rin went over to a friend's house. You didn't pick up your cell phone."

Kagome snatched her cell phone from her purse and stared at it blankly. It was off.

"Sorry," Kagome muttered. "I'll leave."

Inuyasha watched her before glancing over at the clock on the wall.

"I'll walk you home," he said, following her. He shrugged on his jacket. "I don't need to be at work for another half hour."

"No," Kagome said at once, whipping around so quickly she crashed into a pile of shoes and nearly tripped. She cleared her throat. "I mean… I don't need to go home."

The truth of the matter was that she couldn't bear to see Abi again and have to face with her father ignoring her. She cleared her throat again nervously, wringing her hands, squeezing the fabric of her shirt in between her merciless grip.

Inuyasha frowned.

"I… uh…" Kagome sighed.

'_Get a grip on yourself,'_ she told herself miserably. _'You shouldn't take what Abi said to heart.'_ But she did. Oh how she did. Inuyasha hated her. And, despite their one, treasured moment in that closet, she knew that he would never truly be nice to her. _'Abi's right.'_

Inuyasha sighed, blowing out a long stream of air that nearly ruffled Kagome's bangs. His breath smelled bad. He obviously hadn't brushed his teeth that day.

"Fine," he said at last and ran fingers through his short black hair. Kagome decided that having short hair suited Inuyasha. His long hair was just as unruly as his short hair, but the short hair served in framing his face. "You can come with me, then."

"What?"

"Well, you don't have to," Inuyasha said at once, the tips of his ears turning pink. "I just thought that maybe I could get you lunch since I made you come all the way out here only for Rin to be gone."

"You don't have to do that," Kagome said, her own cheeks turning pink. "I can manage on my own."

"Suit yourself," Inuyasha shrugged. Kagome tried to still her racing heart. He opened the door and ushered her out before closing it and locking it behind him. "I just thought that maybe you'd be hungry. It'd be free, too."

"Well," Kagome paused. Who was she to deny free food? She thought again, albeit sourly, about Abi's comments about her not being thin. She frowned. She was fine, she knew that, but still, hearing it from Abi, the only mother figure she had, still cut her deep. "I guess it'd be okay."

Inuyasha shrugged and made a noncommittal noise as he trudged down the hallway towards the staircase. They moved silently down a couple flights of stairs until they made it to the bottom of the complex and departed.

They walked in an awkward silence Kagome came to associating Inuyasha with. Silence always followed Inuyasha like a lost dog. It was just something that was like him. She didn't mind, too much, unless they were the unbearably awkward silences she felt now. She swallowed.

When they reached the restaurant he worked at, Kagome watched Inuyasha clock in and begin preparations for serving tables. The restaurant was almost completely empty save for a few stragglers. It was in between the lunch hour and dinner hour, leaving the restaurant looking abandoned.

Kagome sat down gingerly in a booth and stared out the window. She ignored Inuyasha as he moved down the aisle, picking up dishes left from the lunch hour an hour prior. He muttered profanities under his breath about he was a waiter, not a busboy, as he passed by her but Kagome knew that he was simply ranting to himself and not attempting to make conversation with her.

A quarter of an hour later, Inuyasha reappeared, hands cleaned and dish-free. He glanced around the restaurant, searching for other customers, but the remaining stragglers were cleared out. Inuyasha plopped down in the seat opposite her and lolled his head against the back of his seat. Kagome watched him, unsure, and offered him a tentative smile. She saw his lips quiver and swore she saw a shadow of as mile, but his lips never curled upwards like they had in the closet.

"So," he said finally, shattering the silence that surrounded them like a pall. "What do you want?"

"Oh…" Kagome stammered, forgetting the reason she'd come here in the first place. Her stomach growled. She hadn't had anything to eat that morning because of her upset around her family. She rarely left her room anymore. "Um… could I just have some fries?"

Inuyasha grunted, but didn't get up right away. He looked tired. Probably Rin kept him up because of her nightmares and her need to be tucked in. Whenever Kagome had to watch Rin while Inuyasha had the late-night shift, Rin always woke up with nightmares. Some were less intense than others. It could range from falling off a cliff to being eaten by a monster.

After a short while, Inuyasha left to get her requested food.

The restaurant wasn't traditional in any sense, which is probably why Inuyasha was hired. If it'd been a traditional restaurant, Kagome imagined, Inuyasha's behavior would probably send customers away. No, the small restaurant serving American style food was nice, and far better than the fast food places down the street.

Inuyasha returned a short time later with a plate of flies, which he plopped down in front of Kagome. Once again, he flopped down into the booth with Kagome, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.

"Do you want anything else?" he questioned, his voice soft and sleepy.

"No," Kagome said with a shake of her head. She ate a fry gratefully. "Thank you."

He grunted and said nothing else. Kagome smiled lightly and lowered her head, focusing on the plate of fries he'd given her. Somehow, she felt a little better.

"So what's really wrong?"

Kagome started at his tone. She lifted her head and stared at him. All signs of sleepiness were gone from his face and he looked slightly peeved—which was a normal expression for Inuyasha. He rested his elbow on the table and cushioned his chin in the palm of his hand. Inuyasha was oddly observant, Kagome realized vaguely. She wasn't sure if she liked that about him or not.

"Nothing's wrong," she countered weakly, lacking all conviction in her voice. Inuyasha snorted bitterly, signaling his disbelief. "I promise."

"You're a bad liar, Kagome," Inuyasha easily. Whether that was meant as a criticism or a compliment Kagome wasn't sure.

"I'm fine… as long as the people around me are happy," she said, lowering her gaze to her empty plate of French fries.

"Oh?"

His light tone patronized her and Kagome bitterly recalled Abi's conversations with her. She felt her entire face turn red with her shame as she gripped the hem of her skirt, just above her knees.

"Yes," she said weakly.

"Hm…"

"As long as Rin and Inuyasha," she paused, glancing at him hesitantly, "are happy, then I'm happy. As long as I can see you smiling, both of you, I'm fine. As long as you're happy."

He stared at her for a long moment. "I'm never happy."

Kagome felt as if she'd been stabbed again. She felt emotions flush out of her in a whoosh and she ducked her head, shielding her betrayed look. She should have known that Inuyasha still hated the world. Perhaps, in her stupid, childish mind, she imagined that having Rin and herself in his life was healing him. That time in the closet meant nothing, in the end. It was all a mirage. It was all a dream. A mirage. A mirage. A mirage.

Why couldn't Inuyasha ever say the things she wanted, she needed to hear? Why couldn't Inuyasha know that she just wanted reassurance? That she just wanted a friend to smile and tell her everything would be okay?

Because Inuyasha wasn't like that. Kagome knew that. But that didn't stop her from losing control of her emotions.

Her vision wavered. Inuyasha didn't want her around. Abi was right. She was just a nuisance. She was just in the way of everyone. This was the way her life was. This is the way she'd come to live.

"Oh," she said weakly.

Inuyasha must have realized this was the wrong thing to say. "Oy," he began slowly, his tone light. "Come on, why do you care?"

"You know very well why I care!" Kagome snapped out, feeling her betrayal and sadness quickly becoming replaced with anger. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she stared at him, bewildered. "You know damn well."

Inuyasha flared up, his eyes narrowing and his black eyebrows descending his brow as he gave her a deep glare that signaled his utter dislike for her tone and her words. His shoulders tensed and he gave her a deep, dark look.

"I've go to go," she said at last, standing abruptly. Her knee knocked against the table and she silently cursed as pain shot through her leg. "Thanks for the food."

She moved away quickly, knowing that Inuyasha wouldn't follow her. He'd lose his job if he just up and left. She pushed back the urge to cry and miserably exited the building.

"Kagome!" a voice called out behind her. So he had followed her. She sped up her pace. "God damn it, Kagome!"

A hand grasped her forearm before she could make it the crosswalk and Inuyasha tugged her back. She stumbled, nearly losing her balance. She caught herself and gave him a stricken look.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded, genuinely curious, underneath all his anger.

"It doesn't matter!" Kagome said, tugging herself free from him. She pulled away from him quickly, leaving his arm grasping air. "Just leave me alone!"

Deep down, Kagome knew that she was being unfair to Inuyasha. How was he to know of her inner turmoil? It was just his way—one moment, keenly observant, and the next, rather dense. But how could he ever truly comprehend what was going through her head?

Once again, deep down, Kagome knew that Inuyasha, given the chance, had an opportunity to empathize for her. After all, he was an orphan. He didn't have his parents and he drifted between family members. He faced the difficulty of being unwanted everyday. What made Kagome so special?

"Kagome," he said after a brief pause. He stared at her in confusion. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It doesn't matter!" she cried out and felt tears collect in the corner of her eyes. "Just leave me alone!"

With that, she took off in a run, and Inuyasha didn't follow her.

* * *

Inuyasha slouched to the door as he heard knocking. He looked at his watch. It was too early. Muttering darkly to himself about Kagome showing up way too early, Inuyasha unlocked the door and opened it.

"Good morning!" Miroku sang out happily, fluttering his hand in a flamboyant and overly dramatic flick.

Inuyasha shut the door in his face.

"Now that that wasn't very nice," Miroku said sadly as he opened the door, following after the retreating form of Inuyasha. "I was just here to say hello."

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered and didn't turn around.

"So cruel, Inuyasha," Miroku mock-gasped as he slipped off his shoes and followed after his classmate.

"How do you know where I live?" Inuyasha muttered instead of greeting Miroku.

"Everyone's listed in the directory, of course," Miroku bubbled and trotted behind Inuyasha, who still refused to turn around and look at him. "But I actually came here on very serious business. I have something very important to ask you, after all."

Inuyasha gave him a dry look before ushering Rin away from the television and into her room, where she occupied herself with some books. Knowing Miroku, his 'very serious business' was not children appropriate. He gave his friend another look before sighing and flopping down at his kitchen table.

He waved his hand. "Get on with it."

"Well," Miroku started dramatically, and paused, beaming down at his friend.

"You're too cheerful," Inuyasha muttered.

"Never fear, cruel friend, for your words cut me deep and soon you shall have a cold corpse on your floor," Miroku said dramatically as he sat down in the chair opposite Inuyasha. The other boy snorted cynically. Then a change seemed to befall Miroku and he did, indeed, turn rather serious. His deep blue eyes stared at him for a long moment until Inuyasha grew uncomfortable. What was it with Kagome's family and having such eyes that seemed to stare into your soul?

"Well, what do you want?" Inuyasha said once the discomfort seemed to saturate the room.

Miroku folded his arms and sighed, frowning thoughtfully. "Have you talked to Kagome recently?"

Inuyasha hadn't. Ever since her retreat from the restaurant four days ago, he hadn't spoken to her. He shook his head silently, wondering what Miroku was aiming at. If the boy was going to question him about sleeping with Kagome then the boy would shortly find himself falling to his death from the third story window.

"She's been strange lately," Miroku said at last, looking genuinely concerned for his cousin. "She's quieter, and skittish. I was wondering if maybe something happened to her."

"I didn't do anything, if that's what you're aiming at," Inuyasha said bitterly.

Miroku's frown deepened. "I was hoping that maybe you could think of something. Is there anything that could have set her off? You're pretty heartless most of the time."

"You came over here to interrogate me?" Inuyasha snapped. The truth of the matter was that Inuyasha was thinking along the same lines as Miroku. But he'd never admit that, especially since he hated to think that he'd done something to make Kagome that upset.

"But can you think of anything?" Miroku insisted.

"Fuck you," Inuyasha snapped. "Why do you always assume that I did something?"

Miroku stared at him in shock before his eyes narrowed in his own anger. He stood up and Inuyasha followed suit, staring down at one another, trying to make the other one submit to the other.

"You're quite defensive. Maybe you did do something?" Miroku said harshly, accusing his friend.

"I didn't do shit," Inuyasha snapped.

"Maybe that's the problem," Miroku countered. "Are you completely blind?"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and soon the table wasn't between them any longer. Fists flew and Inuyasha watched in amazement as Miroku missed his cheek by a mere inches but his own fist collided with Miroku's cheek, sending the boy sprawling backwards and nearly falling over a chair.

Miroku touched his cheek, a look of utter shock written on his face. He pulled away to see a small collection of blood on his finger tips. One of Inuyasha's nails sliced through the soft skin of his face. He stared at in shock, disbelieving that they'd really thrown punches at one another—and meant it.

"What do you mean am I blind?" Inuyasha demanded.

"You really are an idiot," Miroku marveled. It wasn't as if Miroku were trying to insult him, but he was genuinely surprised at how dense his friend could be. "Kagome likes you."

Inuyasha stared at him in shock. "What?"

"Oh my God, you really are stupid!" Miroku rubbed his forehead, as if dealing with a mindless monkey. "Kagome has liked you since junior high, you insolent dolt!"

"How do you know? That's not true!" Inuyasha protested, refusing to believe that he could be blind to something like a crush.

Miroku shook his head. Inuyasha cracked his knuckles.

"If you can't see it, then Kagome doesn't deserve you at all."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and he advanced on Miroku. The boy was ready for him, however, and sent a kick to his stomach, knocking the older boy back. Inuyasha wheezed, grasping his stomach in pain and trying to regain his breath.

"Come, Inuyasha, I do not wish to fight. You are my best friend." Miroku seemed to truly mean it when he said that. He gave Inuyasha a pleading look.

Inuyasha, for one brief moment, was touched that Miroku considered him his best friend. Him. A classmate who'd never showed the boy a shred of kindness.

But Inuyasha was far too deep into his anger to accept anything other than his anger towards Miroku. Besides, they were in the middle of a fight. He couldn't very well go soft on Miroku now, regardless of their friendship. His anger surged through him.

"I have to ask why you'd want someone like me as a best friend." Inuyasha spat, glaring daggers. "I don't know _why_ I even put up with you."

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Miroku stared at him in shock and anger. But, despite that all, Inuyasha could see the glimmer of hurt and betrayal swimming in his impossibly blue eyes. He bit his lip and gripped his fists. Slowly, he lifted his hand and wiped away the blood pooling from the cut on his cheek. His fingers brushed over the bruise forming there.

"I guess," Miroku said, anger in his voice. "I'm not important to you."

Inuyasha was too deep in his own anger to stop and think. "I don't see why an idiot like you would want to be my friend."

Miroku flared up. "Well, maybe I _don't_!"

"Then get the fuck away from me. Get out of my house!"

"Maybe I will then!" Miroku stormed past Inuyasha, purposefully bumping into Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha, already slightly off balance, stumbled. He glared at Miroku's back, hating him for being so strong and being so right, too.

Silence fell for one moment until Inuyasha heard a door open and slam shut. Inuyasha listened for any sign that Miroku may come back. He wondered why he wanted Miroku to come back in the first place.

It wasn't until he realized that Miroku wasn't coming back that Inuyasha accepted the fact that Miroku was his best friend. Even if Miroku was kind of an idiot and a pervert, at least he'd always been there for Inuyasha, canceling out his morbid attitude with his own sunny personality. He hadn't realized he'd grown so attached to Miroku until the boy was gone.

He tenderly touched the spot on his stomach, where Miroku had left a rather large mark. His stomach was turning purple. He hissed in pain as he tried to touch it.

"You fucker," Inuyasha cursed as he straightened, glaring down the hall where Miroku had disappeared. He cursed the boy. He cursed Kagome. He cursed the world.

Who needed people? People were stupid. People only hurt him, in the end.

"Inu-oniichan," Rin murmured, daring to peek her head out and look to her cousin.

"God damn it, just leave me the fuck alone!" Inuyasha snapped.

Rin recoiled, looking like he'd just slapped her. Tears pooled in her eyes and she ran away, slamming her door behind her.

'_Well,'_ Inuyasha thought bitterly. _'You're alone. Just like you wanted to be.'_

Summer rain pounded against his window and thunder rumbled in the distance. Inuyasha flopped down into a chair and hunched over, staring at his feet like they'd done him personal harm. Why was everything crashing around him?

In his head, deep in his subconscious, he knew that he was wrong. But he was alone. He'd screwed everything up, as was his nature.

'_Maybe someday,'_ Inuyasha thought bitterly, _'I'll get it right.'_


	14. Chapter 14: Fragile Heart

**Daughters  
Chapter Fourteen: Fragile Heart**

* * *

Dinner was eerily quiet. Kagome ate, feeling the discomfort hanging in the air. She chewed thoughtfully, training her eyes on her plate. Normally, she was never this passive… but things were so awkward and strange with Abi and her father.

Kagome never felt completely close to her father. He was, after all, a man who danced through her life like a cameo. He'd worked in America for the better part of her adolescence, and he'd always connected more with Souta. She'd grown closer to her father, and she loved him, having lived with him for nearly five years of her teenaged life. But, now things were so terrible… because she'd struck his future wife.

Kagome knew that her father was never the greatest father. She knew that he wasn't always the greatest person, either—he meant well, she knew that. But, in the end, everything that her father did centered on whether it was good for him and his priorities. Coincidently, Kagome wasn't one of his top priorities.

"Dad…" Kagome prompted, wishing to say something to him.

Her father didn't respond. Her father was a moody man, and despite his age, Kagome suspected that he still had the mindset of a spoiled, bratty teenager. The silent treatment stretched on until Kagome bowed her head in defeat, focusing again on her food and wishing she could melt into the floor.

She longed for her mother, and not for the first time, either.

Kagome glanced from her father to her future stepmother. Abi gave her a contemplative look before returning to her meal, gracing Kagome with the same silent treatment her father bestowed upon her. They were teaming up on her again and Kagome felt like she was being stabbed by every second of silence. She could feel the silence hanging in the air and she hated it.

Finally, after such a long, long time, her father looked up and frowned. She felt her entire body freeze and her heart nearly stop. He made eye contact with her and Kagome shook.

"Pass the sauce," her father ordered curtly, as if addressing an animal he was tired of. Kagome slowly picked up the saucepan and passed it to him. The hot surface nicked her father's hand and he pulled his hand away quickly, hissing in pain. "Damn it."

Kagome gasped and set down the pan. "I'm so sorry, Dad. Here let me—"

"I think you've done quite enough, Kagome," Abi said with a barely disguised sneer. Kagome sat down shamefully, ducking her head and glaring at her food, feeling like bursting into tears.

Her father cursed again and stood up away from the table, retreating to wash his hand under cold water. Kagome flushed in her shame and didn't pick her food back up until she heard her father sit back down again.

"Sorry," she said again.

Her father didn't respond.

Silence reigned.

After what seemed like an eternity, Abi finally spoke:

"Your father and I have been talking, Kagome."

Kagome lifted her head, giving her future stepmother a quizzical look. The pregnant woman gave her a quirked smile, the kind of smile that sent shivers down Kagome's spine—she knew that something was coming.

"About what?" Kagome prompted.

"Your continued disobedience," Abi said breezily. She gave her fiancée a pointed look and her father made a noncommittal grunt. "We're concerned."

"What have I done?" Kagome questioned miserably. She didn't have the strength to stand up against her father again. She wanted his approval and his respect. But she feared she'd lost it forever.

It'd been a mistake to strike out against Abi. Abi was pregnant. Abi was her father's fiancée. They were almost to their perfect little family—father, mother, and sweet little baby. Kagome and Souta just weren't designed for the pristine family life they'd sewed themselves into. Souta was already out of the way until he was eighteen. Kagome was the sore thumb. The black sheep. She'd never fit in.

"I haven't done anything," Kagome protested meekly.

"Do you enjoy doing this?" her father suddenly spoke. The guilt trip. Kagome knew it would come sooner or later. Kagome shook. "Do you enjoy putting us through so much difficulty?"

"I…"

"You're barely home anymore to look after Abi," her father cut his daughter off, "don't you understand that's why I made you quit your grocery job? I need you hear to watch Abi in her fragile state. But then you go and start babysitting some orphaned child for some unknown classmate. And you're gone nearly every day after school. Do you like making Abi suffer, Kagome?"

Kagome felt like she would burst into tears at any moment. She gripped her knees, wishing she could say the things she wanted to say but knowing that she could never say them to her father. She knew that she could never say these things to her father, because he didn't trust her. With her mother, Kagome could always say what she was feeling because there was no danger of her mother not loving her anymore, always. But her father. Her father was a different story entirely.

"I didn't mean to…" Kagome muttered.

Abi snorted.

Her father continued, ignoring Abi's snort, just as Kagome knew he would. Her father was a push-over and a guilt tripper, and Abi had her exactly where he wanted him: under her thumb.

"You're becoming more and more of a burden."

Kagome didn't know how much more her heart could take. Each word her father spoke stabbed her in the heart.

"I took you in when you had no where else to go, I give you food and shelter, and all I ask is a little help in return. And how do you repay me? By assaulting my future wife and distancing yourself from the family. Are you really going to a job everyday?" Her father gave her a skeptical look. "Or are you going to end up giving this family a bad name?"

Kagome gripped her knees until she felt she'd bruise them. Tears leaked from her clenched eyelids. She sniffled.

"I'm sorry I'm such a terrible child in your eyes, then," she screamed out before she could stop herself and released a heart-wrenching sob. She ducked her head.

But this only seemed to anger her father. He stood up quickly. "Don't you dare play the victim."

Kagome shook her head repeatedly, tears falling and her entire body racking with sobs. She wanted to tell her father she wasn't playing the victim. She wanted to tell her father she was sorry she failed to live up to his expectations. She wanted to tell her father she was sorry for looking like her mother. She wanted to tell her father she was sorry for failing to be the daughter he wanted.

"Crying won't get you out of this, Kagome," Abi said tensely, not swayed by the broken girl before her.

Hand-me-down...

"You'd better shape up soon, Kagome," her father warned. "Or I don't know what I'll do."

"I… can't…" Kagome wept.

"You can't what?" her father snapped.

"I can't be the person you want me to be, _Dad_!" Kagome cried out. She leapt to her feet and raced away. She heard her father pounding after her. He was livid; she could hear it in his curses as she pursued her. For one brief, wild moment Kagome was afraid that he'd actually attack her. She made it to her room and locked the door, leaning against the wood and crying hysterically.

He slammed his fists against the door. "Open this right now!"

Kagome didn't answer. Her heart was breaking.

"I can't keep doing this, Kagome," her father hissed, "You need to grow up sometime."

She heard Abi come up behind him; she assumed she was trying to comfort him. They murmured on the other side of the door. Kagome's body tensed.

"Don't break my heart, Dad," Kagome whispered.

"Kagome," her father started on the other side of the door. "I want you out."

"I won't leave my room," Kagome returned, her voice shaky.

"No, I don't mean that." There was a long, deadly pause. Kagome's heart quivered in her chest. "I want you out of my home."

Kagome's heart shattered.

* * *

Inuyasha stared at the ceiling that night. He'd grown used to Rin crawling into his bed at night, but it'd been two days since she'd come into his room. She was still angry with him over the time he'd snapped at her.

Inuyasha knew it wasn't Rin's fault, but he was so frustrated with Miroku and Kagome. They were relying on him for something, and he had no idea what it could be, either. He was so angry and confused, he didn't know what to do.

Kagome was upset, he knew why. He didn't know why he cared, either. Miroku said that Kagome liked him. He frowned deeply. Who would like him? He was a jerk, and he knew it, too. He'd never really been nice to Kagome for a long interval of time.

He folded his arms behind his head, cushioning his black hair and frowning deeply.

Kagome was his friend and so was Miroku. Well, at least they were. Inuyasha wasn't sure why he felt empty when he thought about that. He'd been just fine without friends. What was it with the Higurashi family bloodline to want to inject themselves into his life? Miroku and Kagome were both similar in many ways; they refused to let him live his life in solitude.

"Keh," he muttered to himself. "This entire thing is stupid."

Miroku completely overreacted. He knew that, too. But he couldn't blame him. He was very protective of Kagome, and, from what he'd heard from the two cousins, Kagome's life wasn't a romp around the park, either. It was understandable that he'd be defensive.

'_But still,'_ he thought miserably as he touched his sore stomach, _'He didn't have to kick me so hard.'_

He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. Something was missing. He felt empty. And alone.

"So Kagome likes me," he told the ceiling after opening his lavender eyes. The ceiling didn't respond. He wasn't expecting it to. "She really must be an idiot, huh?"

He didn't find the situation as funny as it could have been.

He bit his lip. "But I don't like her, so it doesn't matter."

He paused.

"God damn it."

The door creaked open and Inuyasha lay dead still. He watched as Rin padded across the length of his room, grasping her teddy bear and looking very unsure about herself.

"Inu-oniichan?" Rin prompted as she stared at her cousin, assuming he was sleeping. She bit her lip.

"What?" Rin jumped, surprised to see her cousin turn his head and look at her. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Rin shook her head quickly and smiled at him, her brown eyes glowing from the streetlights streaming in through his curtains.

"Can I sleep with Inu-oniichan?" Rin whispered. Inuyasha sighed and didn't respond. He scooted away, lining up against the wall.

That was all the invitation she needed. She crawled into bed and snuggled under the covers, gripping her stuffed animal and cuddling into the warmth of her cousin's bed, his scent saturating the pillow comforting her.

"You're not mad at me anymore?" Inuyasha questioned quietly, watching his sleepy little cousin.

Rin shook her head and giggled. "No, I know that it wasn't Inu-oniichan's fault. I forgive Inu-oniichan."

Inuyasha stared at Rin for a long moment before a tiny shadow of a smile graced his lips. He sighed and laid his head back down on the pillow. Sometimes he wondered if Rin was the only person that really understood him.

He reached out a hand and brushed her brown-black bangs away from her face. She laughed quietly, a small, breathy giggle.

"Sleep well, Rin," Inuyasha murmured, patting down her hair.

"Goodnight, Inu-oniichan," Rin returned, yawning hugely and exposing the small gap in her mouth where a new tooth was growing in, taking away Rin's lisp.

Inuyasha stared at the ceiling long after Rin had fallen asleep, his mind heavy with thoughts that wouldn't dissipate for the night.

* * *

"This is Kagome's house," Inuyasha whispered as he stared at the hastily scribbled address on the small sheet of paper. He'd looked up the address in the student directory, and now here he was, wasting a perfectly nice day off (Rin was at her friends', too, which brought a whole new meaning to 'day off') and yet, he was trying to find Kagome.

Why did he want to talk to her, anyway? He'd let her run away that day at his work…

He grumbled to himself and scratched the back of his neck. He knew that he had to talk to her. If it really was his fault that she was sad, then he'd have to make it better, if only to appease his conscious. He also knew he didn't like seeing Kagome so sad and Miroku pissed off. He hadn't spoken to Miroku since the fight, partially because he was stubborn and also because he knew that Miroku must be pissed if he were willing to actually fight against him. Miroku always struck him as a happy guy who would save a spider rather than kill it.

He knocked on the door and stood there awkwardly, wondering what he would say to Kagome once he saw her. She hadn't returned his phone calls when he'd requested babysitting Rin, but he hadn't expected her to call back for that if she were upset with him.

"I'll make it better," he promised himself, staring at the sheet of paper again to make sure he'd gotten the correct address. It was correct. He knocked again.

He was about ready to leave, frustrated, when an elder man opened the door and stared at him skeptically. Dark eyes regarded the black-haired teenager and Inuyasha realized that he was about to walk into an awkward conversation. So be it.

"I, uh, hi," he said stupidly.

The man frowned. "How may I help you?"

"My name's Shinkanshi Inuyasha, I'm a classmate of Kagome's," Inuyasha started. The man's eyes darkened and his frown deepened. Inuyasha's own frown intensified. "May I speak with her?"

For one brief moment the man looked sad.

"Kagome isn't here anymore."

Inuyasha stared at him in shock. "Why the hell not?"

The man seemed alarmed by his brash nature. No doubt Inuyasha looked like a punk in the man's eyes. His hair was unkempt, he hadn't bothered to brush it, almost looking like he'd spiked it. He was wearing dirty, wrinkled street clothes and the earring in his ear always set people off in assuming he was a yankee. That, and his brash nature.

"She moved out," the man said tensely.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked, awed. "I mean… where can I find her?"

"Why do you need to find her so quickly?" the man questioned, looking miserable.

Inuyasha paused. He didn't want to come out and say that he was worried about her. That would be stupid, and make him look like a pansy, or something. He didn't want to say that she was his friend. He must have looked fearful of what to say next because the man stepped aside.

"Please, come inside, won't you?"

Inuyasha had no choice but to obey. He stepped inside awkwardly and followed after the man. Inuyasha swallowed a lump in his throat, unsure what to make of the situation. He'd never been inside Kagome's house. Well, old house. He followed the man he assumed was Kagome's father down across the interior of the apartment until they reached a room that Inuyasha supposed was his office.

"Have a seat," the man beckoned with a wave of his arm. Inuyasha sat awkwardly after the older man sat down. He fidgeted. "Now, then, what is it that you need with Kagome?"

"I, uh…"

"Please be honest," the man urged, his eyebrows slanting downwards.

Inuyasha swallowed.

The man folded his hands and rested his chin on his knuckles, observing the fidgeting nineteen-year-old. He smiled in what Inuyasha supposed was supposed to be acomforting manner but only served to make Inuyasha feel even more uncomfortable. What was he doing here? It was a mistake to enter the house in the first place.

"Are you a delinquent?" the man questioned suddenly. "Has Kagome been doing something illegal with you?"

"What?" Inuyasha exclaimed, looking alarmed. "No! I'm her employer. She baby-sits my cousin."

"Oh," the man said, looking surprised. "I apologize, I thought Shinkanshi sounded familiar."

"Why would Kagome be involved with delinquents?" Inuyasha muttered to himself but quickly shook his head. "Why isn't Kagome here?"

The man sighed. "I kicked her out."

"What?" Inuyasha marveled, his eyes widening.

Mr. Higurashi frowned and gave the boy a dark look. "Are you going to preach to me on the proper way to be a father, Shinkanshi?"

"N-no," Inuyasha said and silently cursed himself for stuttering. He couldn't help it. Kagome's father was intimidating, especially under the circumstances. He knew it'd been a mistake to come here.

"I know I'm a terrible father," the man said suddenly, surprising Inuyasha again. He sighed deeply and buried his head in his hands, shaking his head. "I'm a terrible man."

Inuyasha couldn't deny that. From what he'd heard from Kagome and Miroku, he was an unobservant, self-centered adulterer.

"I, more than anything, didn't want Kagome to turn out like her mother. Her mother… she was so carefree and crazy. She did so many things, made many enemies."

"Why are you telling me this?" Inuyasha whispered.

The man paused and sighed. "I think I just need someone to justify my actions to."

"I'm not even twenty," Inuyasha said.

"But you already have an opinion of me, yes?" the man countered.

Inuyasha shrugged.

Kagome's father continued.

"I met Kagome's mother when she was a prostitute… and I fell in love instantly. Perhaps I married too quickly, too soon. But before I knew it, we had a daughter. Kagome. She was beautiful. But I always wondered if she were truly my daughter. I looked nothing like her. Kagome looks exactly like her mother." The man sighed and rubbed his temples.

Inuyasha stared in shock, truly wondering why the man was telling him all this. He didn't interrupt. He was fascinated by the man's history.

"I began to hate her," her father said at last, and the weight of the words seemed to hit both of them full force. "I began making excuses to never see her and distance myself from her and our daughter. I began to loathe Kagome for the mere fact that she may not be mine and looks exactly like her mother."

"You're a fool," Inuyasha said instantly, ignoring the man's deadly glare at the boy's harsh words. "Have you ever looked in a mirror? Kagome may be different, but I can see her in you. You two have the same jaw lines and the same ears. Or are you completely blind?"

The man touched an ear idly.

Inuyasha stood up. "I should be going."

"Wait," the man said, standing as well and walking around the desk that separated them. "At least have some water before you leave. You look pale."

Inuyasha frowned but relented, following after the man that dared to call himself Kagome's father. How could a man be so cruel to Kagome?

Inuyasha froze in his tracks, his eyes widening. Who was he to say such words? Hadn't he treated Kagome just as badly as her own father? Wasn't he just as terrible? Wasn't he a shameful person in Kagome's life, too?

He clenched his fists. No, he would not compare himself to that man. Never.

"Abi, you're here?" Inuyasha heard Mr. Higurashi say.

Inuyasha turned the corner and saw Abi, the dreaded stepmother, for the first time. The first thing he noticed was that Abi as incredibly beautiful, even when weighed down with a child. The next thing he noticed was that she wasn't nearly as pretty as Kagome. He felt his cheeks turn pink at that thought and silently scolded himself for such schoolboy-like thoughts.

"This is my fiancée, Higurashi Abi," Mr. Higurashi introduced. "She's already changed her name."

Abi smiled. "And you are?"

"This is Shinkanshi Inuyasha, the man Kagome baby-sits for," Mr. Higurashi spoke before Inuyasha could.

Abi sighed. "I'm sorry that you have to put up with Kagome, Shinkanshi-San."

Abi was young, Inuyasha realized. Too young. Far too young to be with a man like Mr. Higurashi. Inuyasha felt unnerved standing before the odd couple and wished for the umpteenth time that he'd never come into the apartment and had just asked for Kagome's new address.

"Kagome is a bit of a problem child, I must admit. If I were you, I wouldn't let her near your child," Abi was saying and Inuyasha snapped back to attention. "Who knows what Kagome would do to your children if you weren't paying attention? I wouldn't put it past her to kidnap them or sell them?"

Mr. Higurashi sighed and nodded his head. "I fear that Kagome has been a bit of a problem ever since her mother died." He touched Abi's hand and interlaced their fingers. "She's always been angry, I suppose."

"How would you know?" Inuyasha hissed. "When have you ever looked at her?"

The couple paused and stared at Inuyasha in shock, surprised to hear such words coming from the boy. Inuyasha was livid, glaring at the two of them like they'd done something terrible. Perhaps they had.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot sympathize for you," Inuyasha said harshly, fists clenching. "You should know that guilt trips only make me really angry. You're right. You're a terrible father. You've probably ripped Kagome to shreds for things that she's never done. You hated her for being born? Whose fault is that?"

Inuyasha snarled and glared at the man.

"You make me sick. You should be ashamed of yourself. Of both of you," he said, turning his attentions towards Abi, who stared at him in shock. "Do you find pleasure in ripping down a teenager? A teenaged girl who's never done harm to anyone?"

Why was he defending her?

Inuyasha wasn't sure.

"How dare you destroy the one girl who would sacrifice anything to make you happy? How dare you destroy the happiness of that girl?" Inuyasha felt himself growing angry. "You make me sick."

"You don't know Kagome like we do," Abi began.

"I know her a hell of a lot better than you do, apparently," Inuyasha snapped. "I know that I could trust my life to Kagome, and Rin's life, too. I know that Kagome wouldn't hurt a fly. I know that Kagome would do anything to make us happy. I know that Kagome cares and is loving. I know that Kagome loves you, even if you're a complete asshole to her."

He paused, knowing that the same rang true for him. Kagome liked him, supposedly, even though he was a complete ass to her. He bit his lip. Miroku was right. He had been blind.

"Kagome raised her hand to me, you know," Abi stated, looking smug. Inuyasha wondered why they both wanted him to agree with them on this entire ordeal.

"I'm sure you deserved it," Inuyasha snapped. Abi gasped. "She should have punched you, I think."

Abi looked completely scandalized. "Did you hear what he said to me?" she demanded, tugging on her future husband's shirt sleeve. "This boy really is a delinquent. Quickly, call the police!"

The man stared at Inuyasha. "I think it's best if you leave, Shinkanshi."

Inuyasha snorted. "I hope you're ashamed of yourself, bastard. You've probably made Kagome cry more times than I have."

The man's eyes narrowed. "Leave my house now."

Inuyasha turned on his heel and started for the door. He paused halfway there and turned to look at them over his shoulder.

"If you weren't Kagome's father," he said tensely, "I'd make you sorry."

With that, he slammed the door shut.

Inuyasha left from the meeting completely unnerved and with no clue as to Kagome's whereabouts.


	15. Chapter 15: Fall Away

**Daughters  
Chapter Fifteen: Fall Away **

* * *

Kagome wiped her eyes and set down the last of her picture frames, staring down at the picture of little Rin waving up at her. She'd taken the picture a week ago, and she'd gotten the film developed. She loved Rin. She traced her finger along the curve of Rin's cheek and a new tear splashed along the surface of the coffee table.

She knelt down and grasped the frame to her chest.

"Why can't I be happy like you? Why can't I have an older brother like Inuyasha? Even if he's a jerk, at least he cares for you," Kagome said, suppressing a broken sob.

She sat in the middle of her tiny, one-room apartment, funded by her father, nearly three miles away from her old home. The room housed her kitchenette, living area, and her futon, folded and motionless in the corner. Down the hallway Kagome could locate a community bathroom and laundry room. She wheezed as she gasped for breath.

"I guess this is for the best," she whispered to the grinning Rin, staring up at her through a plate of glass. "No matter how much it hurts. He's still my dad, you know?"

A knock came at the door. Kagome perked up, blinking. Standing up and wiping her blue eyes, Kagome padded across the length of the old, carpeted floor and reached for the door, opening it to reveal Sango.

The tears came freely then as she flung herself into her best friend's arms. Sango gladly received her, hugging her tight and shutting the door behind her. She cradled Kagome kindly in the foyer, not caring that her best friend was dampening her shoulder or wrinkling her shirt. She patted Kagome's back and stood there with her, letting the girl take comfort from her shoulder.

* * *

"Lovely day," Inuyasha's grandfather mused. Inuyasha sighed and shrugged next to him, staring out over the Tokyo horizon. His grandfather rocked in his chair, the legs of the chair scraping across the balcony. "You can tell summer's in the air. The fireworks festival will be soon."

"Yeah," Inuyasha said lightly, watching the high noon sun. "I guess so."

"Rin's birthday is soon," the old man said suddenly. Inuyasha blinked in surprise. "July twenty-second."

"Cancer, eh?" Inuyasha whispered.

"I had no idea you were fond of the zodiac, Inuyasha," his grandfather said, chuckling.

Inuyasha frowned. "Oh, shut up," he muttered, "I do not care about that zodiac shit. It's for girls."

His grandfather laughed again and sipped his cup of tea peacefully, letting the warm sun soak into his tired skin and bones. He hummed as he shut his eyes and sighed dreamily, enjoying the rare peace of the city.

"How is Rin?" his grandfather asked suddenly. He was always concerned for Rin's wellbeing. "You've been treating her well, haven't you? Nurturing her?"

"She's fine," Inuyasha said curtly.

"You're feeding her okay?"

"Yes, she has three meals a day."

"She sleeps well?"

"She hogs the entire bed when she comes at night," Inuyasha muttered. His grandfather eyed him. "She likes to sleep next to me, okay? It's not perverted or anything."

"You smoke or drink in front of her?"

"I don't smoke or drink, gramps," Inuyasha muttered.

"She's doing well in school?"

"Haven't we had this conversation before?" Inuyasha snapped out, hating the third degree interrogation and hating his grandfather for all the attention. "Geez, you'd think I was a criminal or something."

The man chuckled after a long pause. "Yes, how silly of me."

He took a sip of his drink.

"And how is that friend of yours, Kagome-Chan, was it?"

"God, don't call her Kagome-Chan, that makes you sound like a dirty old man," Inuyasha said, rubbing his forehead. "And I have no idea how she is. I haven't talked to her in a week and a half. She fell off the face of the earth or something. I went to her house, but her father, the fucking bastard, kicked her out."

"Oh my," the older man whispered.

"I have no idea where she was is, and I pissed off the Higurashi bastard and his arm candy so much I wouldn't dare going back and demanding where Kagome is. They'd slam the door right in my face, or call the police. I supposedly 'threatened' the stupid bitch, Abi."

Inuyasha could see where Kagome's distaste for her family stemmed from. At first, he'd thought she was exaggerating, and just didn't like Abi. But truly he could sense the wickedness in Abi, and her father was near impossible to cooperate with. He was surprised that Kagome could be so kind and caring after living in such an atmosphere for four years.

'_She has the patience of a saint, I suppose,'_ he mused silently to himself.

"Why haven't you found her yet?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha questioned, giving his grandfather a skeptical look. "What are you jabbering about now? Are you senile?"

"She's your girlfriend, isn't she?" the old man questioned. He watched the way Inuyasha started in his chair and nearly fell off it.

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha felt his cheeks turn pink and stubbornly turned his face away, watching the pedestrians far below scurry around like ants. "I do not like Kagome. She's just Rin's babysitter. God, just because I hang out with her doesn't mean we're going to get together."

The man's eyebrows quirked. "You're defensive about it."

"That's because it's not true!" Inuyasha snapped. He crossed his arms and glared at the horizon beyond, feeling his anger stir within him. Boiling.

It was hot today.

"Do you need to talk to her?" he asked after a long moment.

Inuyasha sighed. "She's angry with me. I think. I don't know what I did. I think it has to do with her father, though. It wasn't my fault, whatever it was. I just didn't do something. Miroku mentioned something about how the problem was in how I didn't do anything."

He frowned.

"Miroku says that Kagome likes me." Inuyasha paused and let the idea swim in his confused mind. He'd been stirring the idea in his head for days now. The mere idea of Kagome liking him didn't seem too farfetched anymore. He realized that it was completely probable. Provided Kagome had bad taste in guys.

The way she looked at him, with her blue eyes shining and her lips pulled into a smile. The way she seemed to always be there. Behind him. Like she said she was. The way she wasn't afraid to stand up against him when he was an idiot proved she actually had a brain between her ears.

"I don't know why she'd like me…" he muttered.

"You don't have a lot of confidence in yourself, Inuyasha," his grandfather soothed. "You're always looking for the bad qualities in humans, especially yourself. You always fail to see the good things in people."

He turned over his shoulder and smiled at Rin, who sat on the couch watching television. The girl felt her grandfather's gaze and looked to him, grinning brightly before returning her attention to the cartoon she was watching.

"You're senile," Inuyasha decided.

"I know that my grandson is loyal," the old man wheezed out, fanning himself in the warm sunlight. He sighed softly. "I also know that he cares deeply for those close to him, even though his pride disallows him to admit it. Why else would he humor an old, lonely man during his holiday?"

Inuyasha blushed at the unexpected compliments.

"You're also modest," the man observed. "Which is a very amiable quality in men nowadays."

"What's with the sudden complimenting party, gramps?" Inuyasha muttered, feeling uncomfortable, though strangely pleased with the man's words. He cleared his throat and kicked his feet out, balancing them on the railing of the wooden balcony ledge.

"Go find her," the man said suddenly. He stared at his grandson until he met his gaze. "Go find Kagome and talk with her. Things will turn out for the better, I promise."

Inuyasha frowned and stared at the sun in the sky, wishing it were nighttime, where he could at least hide in the dark and watch the invisible stars.

* * *

It'd taken some work, but he'd managed to weasel the address out of Mr. Higurashi. It'd cost him pride and dignity, but he had it clenched in his hand. He knew where Kagome was. It wasn't too far from his house. A good five mile walk, but he had to talk with Kagome. He had to set things right.

'_Why do I care so much?'_ he kept asking himself.

He couldn't think of a suitable answer to that question.

Inuyasha walked down the narrow hallway, searching for the apartment number that belonged to Kagome. He glanced down at the address every so often, even though he knew he'd memorized it on the way over. Residences from other apartments filtered out occasionally, trailing down to the community bathroom at the end of the hall, walking towards the elevator to leave the complex, or just peeking out to see who it was walking down the hallway.

He finally located Kagome's number and cleared his throat. He spent a good few minutes staring stubbornly at the wooden door, unsure whether or not to actually go through with his plan. He didn't want to know and then admit he was wrong, that was completely unlike him. But, he didn't want Kagome tramping around talking about how he'd done something to her when he had no idea what it was.

Yeah, that was the reason why he was here. Not to help Kagome but to figure out what the hell he'd done himself.

He knocked three times and took a step away from the door, in case it swung outwards. He waited patiently until he heard the steady onset of footsteps. Finally, the door cracked open and Sango poked her head out.

"I thought you were on vacation," Inuyasha said as a greeting. Kagome had mentioned Sango and her family had gone away.

"We came back yesterday," Sango explained gently, pushing a finger to her lips to signal the need for silence. "Kagome's sleeping right now. She's exhausted. Would you like to come in?"

Inuyasha sighed and shrugged his shoulders. What was the point if Kagome wasn't awake? Relenting, Inuyasha slipped inside with Sango and slipped off his shoes. He followed after the girl and looked around the large, one-roomed apartment. Kagome slept peacefully on a ratty, old couch.

"Tea?" Sango offered, holding up a tea pot. "Kagome and I made some a few minutes ago, it's still warm."

"Uh," Inuyasha paused. "No thanks."

There was an awkward silence between them, mostly because the only link they shared was sleeping on the couch with tear-stained cheeks. He sat at the small table with Sango, watching her idly as she sipped a small cup of tea.

"I hope she wakes up soon," Sango said at last. "I need to leave soon, and I'd hate to leave her while she's sleeping."

"So wake her up," Inuyasha grumbled, eyeing Kagome.

"I can't do that. She's finally calmed down a bit," Sango said with a tender sigh. "What her father did… it ripped her apart."

"I thought she didn't like her dad," Inuyasha said, looking at Sango and watching her take another small sip of her tea.

"She loves her dad," Sango whispered miserably, looking heartbroken. "A daughter almost always loves her father. She didn't know her father very well, but she's lived with him for four years, and the mere idea of having a father made Kagome happy. She loves her father, no matter what he does to her. But he's so blind, he rips his daughter's heart to shreds."

Inuyasha sighed and rubbed his forehead. "But he's such an asshole."

"You've met him, I take it," Sango said tenderly. "Yeah, he's not a nice man. But do you think that matters to Kagome? Kagome, for one thing, can find the good things in any living being and can love them for it. Besides, it is her father, and the only immediate family she has left."

Inuyasha thought of Rin, nestled at her grandfather's place while Inuyasha was here. Rin and Kagome were similar, he realized. They could both put up with him and the other jerks in the world.

Sango looked at her watch and chewed her lip. "Shoot, I've got to go."

"I'll tell Kagome you said goodbye," Inuyasha offered.

Sango stood and Inuyasha followed. Sango looked nervous, looking between the sleeping Kagome and Inuyasha, standing with his arms crossed and looking quite disgruntled.

"Well…"

"I'm not going to take advantage of her, if that's what you're thinking," Inuyasha said stubbornly, his eyebrows slanting downwards.

Sango didn't say anything.

"I don't find Kagome the least bit attractive," he lied.

Sango sighed and relented. "I need to pick up my brother. It can't be helped, I suppose." She fished around the messy room, weeding between Kagome's empty boxes and clothing, searching for her own sweater and purse. Locating the missing objects, Sango straightened and gave Inuyasha s smile. "Thank you for coming, it will really mean a lot to Kagome once she wakes up. Tell her that I'll call her."

With that, the long-haired girl left the apartment, leaving Inuyasha alone with Kagome.

Inuyasha sighed and waded through the maze of boxes over to the couch, where Kagome slept. He sat down on the floor, just in front of Kagome, wedged between a coffee table and the couch. He stared at the picture frames on the table. He saw Rin, first of all, smiling and off-center. He saw Kagome with Sango and Ayame, wearing middle school uniforms. He frowned at the picture of her father, staring up through the glass as if having a picture taken was a complete grievance. Finally, he located a picture of what Inuyasha could only assume was Kagome's mother.

He could see the similarities at once. Mrs. Higurashi looked like an older version of Kagome with some variations to her face. He stared at it for a long moment, felt unnerved, and placed the picture back where it belonged.

"It really sucks to be you," he told Kagome's sleeping figure. Kagome didn't respond, but he hadn't expected her to. "I guess that… I know how you feel."

He surprised himself with those words. He blinked and stared at the pictures before them, all staring up at him as if judging him silently. But he did know how she felt. He, too, had been forced from his home unwanted by everyone. Unlike Kagome, however, Inuyasha had his grandfather for a couple years. Who did Kagome have?

He, too, had been pushed from his grandfather's home and gotten his own apartment at a remarkably younger age than necessary. Though his home was far more attractive than the dump Kagome had landed herself in.

Kagome stretched behind him and blinked her eyes open. She rubbed them and the blue orbs shifted over to the startled boy staring up at her. She jerked awake and sat straight up, quickly rubbing her eyes in case there were still tears.

"Where's Sango-Chan?" Kagome croaked.

"She had to go and pick up her brother," Inuyasha explained, eyeing the girl discreetly. "She said goodbye and that she'd call you."

"Oh," Kagome said awkwardly. She paused. "What are you doing here?"

"Do I need a reason?" Inuyasha said instead of what he wanted to say. He was worried about her. He stared at Mrs. Higurashi, smiling warmly up at him, trapped forever in the moment the picture was taken.

"No, I guess you don't," Kagome said shyly. "How'd you find me?"

"I asked your dad," Inuyasha groused. Kagome froze and he felt her nervousness roll off her in waves. "You weren't lying when you told me about them."

He turned in his spot and looked up at her, frowning thoughtfully.

Kagome offered him a tiny smile and got off the couch, walking away. Inuyasha followed after her.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Inuyasha demanded suddenly.

Kagome paused in her descent for the forgotten tea pot on the kitchen table. She straightened and clutched the hem of her shirt, staring at her feet as her bare toes poked at the carpet.

"I don't have a good reason for that," she admitted sheepishly. "At first… I was angry with you… but then I realized it was being stupid. I just haven't had the courage to call you or talk to you."

"That doesn't answer my question," he said firmly.

Kagome sighed. "Sometimes people put their hopes into someone, even when the problem is far bigger than one person can do. I didn't tell you anything. It was unfair for me to assume you'd help me without knowing what it was you had to do."

Inuyasha frowned at Kagome's honesty. She was always more forward with her feelings than he was. He would have danced around the mere idea of having relied on Kagome. Kagome shrugged and offered him a hesitant smile, looking uneasy.

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "It's been a hassle finding a place to leave Rin."

"I'm sorry," Kagome said miserably.

Inuyasha sighed. "It's nothing. You've been too busy with your own issues to have to worry about Rin and me."

Kagome smiled sadly. "Still, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Inuyasha said stubbornly and wishing he hadn't mentioned it, waving her aside and picking up the tea kettle she'd tried to grab before. He held it in his hand, staring at it. "It's cold," he said. "I'll make you some more."

"You don't have to," Kagome began.

"Shut up, I'm going to whether you want me to or not," he said and marched away, not listening to anymore of Kagome's protests. Kagome sighed and followed after him into the tiny kitchenette, hovering over him as he prepared tea. "I know how to make tea; you don't have to be worried."

"I know that," Kagome huffed, and a glimmer of her familiar attitude danced across her eyes. "I'm just making sure you don't burn down my home."

Home. Was this truly her home now? Kagome's face slacked and she turned her attention to the ground, frowning.

Silence fell between them as Inuyasha made the tea. They stood idly in the kitchen, waiting for the water to boil. Once it did, Inuyasha shooed Kagome away when she rushed to help and poured the hot water into a mug and teabag. Silence tapped between them as they waited for the tea to steep. Finally, he picked up the mug and thrust it out to her, nearly spilling tea all over his hand. Kagome took it gratefully and sipped.

He swallowed a lump in his throat and Kagome swallowed a sip of tea.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded once the tea was finished. Kagome blinked and stared at him.

"Tell you what?" Kagome whispered innocently.

"That this was happening," he said with a frown. Kagome observed him skeptically. "That your father was doing this to you."

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say because Kagome quickly ducked her head and he saw her back shake as she tried to suppress her tears. She gripped her skirt's hem and refused to meet his gaze. Obviously he'd attacked an open wound and Kagome wasn't really ready to talk about it yet. Standing in the apartment her father had banished her to probably wasn't helping, either.

"Why are you staying here, anyway?" Inuyasha felt himself getting angry at her supposed friends. "Why hasn't Sango or Ayame taken you in?"

"Sango has no room for me and Ayame's family doesn't have enough money to support another mouth," Kagome hiccupped, forcing down her tears. "My father won't give me money if I go and live with someone else. And I need his financial support, if only that."

She succumbed to another attempt of suppressing her emotions and ducked her head.

"What about Miroku?" Kagome shook her head; she had to stay here to receive financial aid.

Inuyasha felt his hatred for Kagome's father growing.

"What if I paid you more?" Inuyasha demanded. Kagome lifted her head and stared at him in shock. "I mean, I could give you a raise, and you could start saving up…"

Kagome shook her head. "I couldn't ask that of you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha growled, frustrated with the situation. "How can your father do this to you? Doesn't he care about you at all?"

Kagome cried out at his words and started shaking. She cried and wept, gripping herself for support. "But he's a good man…"

Inuyasha didn't have the heart to protest that, knowing that it would only crush Kagome under another bought of sadness.

"Kagome," he whispered, stepping forward. He felt awkward and uncomfortable and wished tenfold that he'd never come to Kagome's apartment and just left her with Sango. But then, she'd be alone now, he silently reasoned, and that would mean she'd be crying all by herself. He hated tears, but he figured that, if he was here, he could try and make her stop.

"He's a good man! I know that he's not being the greatest man right now, but I know that he cares for me and I know that I can never hate him for what he's done, no matter how much I hate _what_ he's done. My dad didn't always used to be like this. Sure, he was a bit selfish… but the small instances I remember of him before his affair, he was such a kind and gentle man, and Mama always told me how much I reminded her of him! I love my dad, I can't hate him for it!"

Kagome cried out.

"But why did he have to do this to me? Why did he have to kick me out of my home? Maybe I could have learned to accept Abi! Maybe I could have been a better child! Now he's just kicked me out, as if he's erasing me from his family, as if he's afraid that I'll ruin his perfect life! Am I that unimportant to him? Do I matter that little?"

"Kagome…"

Inuyasha didn't get to finish for, like the time in the closet; Kagome launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his back, pressing her face into the comfort of his chest, drawing comfort from his scent and the steady thump of his heart (which spiked at her actions.) Tentatively, Inuyasha patted her back and let her cry, feeling his entire body tense.

"They're going to use my room as the nursery," Kagome whispered. "I heard Abi talking about it the night before I moved out. And my father agreed. Why did he have to do this to me?"

At that moment, Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to make Kagome's father pay. But, he also knew that Kagome would never wish any harm to come to her father, no matter how much he felt that he deserved it. Kagome would never want anyone to hurt him or anything bad to happen to him.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said again, patting her back. He felt her falling to the ground and he went with her, kneeling down and cushioning her fall. "I know how you feel."

She went with him, clutching to him like a lost child. She raised her eyes, gazing at him slowly, as if truly trying to comprehend what he was saying. Her bottom lip quivered and she sniffled softly.

"I was kicked out of every home I ever went to. And it ripped me apart." He was shocked by the raw emotion in his voice, and shocked that he'd actually said the one thing he'd never truly been able to admit. Did Kagome have this effect on him, or was he finally opening up with time? He swallowed, feeling exposed under Kagome's intense gaze.

"But you weren't kicked out by your parents." Her voice cracked.

"I know, but do you think I cared? I was eight," he shot back, wishing that she would just accept his empathy. Kagome nodded her head meekly and offered him an unconvinced, watery smile.

"I'm sorry."

"It killed me, Kagome," he whispered and his eyes weren't lying. Kagome felt her entire body tense up, knowing that he was telling her something he'd never told a soul. Her blue eyes stared into his lavender depths and she clutched his shirt sleeves like a lifeline. Outside, the sun was setting. "I was always kicked out. They only wanted my parents' fortunes."

"Inuyasha…" she murmured.

"They didn't love me, and I knew it," he hissed out, anger creeping into his voice. Kagome clutched to him harder, burrowing her head into his chest and restraining her emotions, knowing that Inuyasha had to let whatever he had to say out, and anything she had to say would break the moment he'd submerged himself in. "No one could ever love me."

She tightened her grip, her knuckles turning white.

"I just wanted to leave," he said at last.

"Leave?" she whispered. "Leave Tokyo?"

"No. _Leave_." The way he said it had a ringing finality in it. Kagome stilled and lifted her head, staring up at him, understanding dawning on her face.

Suddenly, the world seemed very delicate.

"Inuyasha… Did you… try to commit…?" she stammered out, unsure whether to really say it or to let the knowledge hang in the air. The question fell limply from her lips, lying on the floor like a dead dog.

There was a long, awkward silence. Inuyasha opened his mouth and shut it, struggling to say the words he longed to say and struggling with his own inner turmoil. He bit his lip and frowned thoughtfully, choosing his words carefully.

A pregnant pause hung, suspended in the air, hanging and rotating slowly around their heads, silently mocking them.

She could feel the silence creeping over them, crawling under her skin and clawing its way up her spine.

"Inuyasha…" she began.

"Yes." The single syllable punctuated the air, shattering the air around them like a bullet.

She bit her lip. She couldn't breathe.

"My grandfather stopped me." He looked like he wanted to say more, but looked very uncomfortable. "He just…" he sucked in air, "stopped me."

Kagome let it drop, staring at him in wonderment and compassion. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand and grazed his cheek. He clenched his eyes shut and gripped his knees, feeling shame roll off him in waves.

"I never knew," Kagome wept, not realizing she was crying until that very moment. She released her clutch on him and huddled her arms together, gripping her biceps. "I never knew. I never imagined. I never even thought…"

"How were you to know?" he questioned, watching her, awed.

"I could have helped. I could have tried to be friends with you sooner. I was just so scared. So nervous... I just…" she trailed off, thinking of Abi and her words. She cried out and ducked her head.

"You had your own problems," he murmured, his cheeks pink.

"But I should have…!" she trailed off, sniffling and crying. She made to stand up and run away, huddling away in her bathroom until she regained control of her emotions and could present herself to Inuyasha properly.

"Why didn't you tell me he was making you this miserable?" he questioned, grasping her wrists. He stood up, pulling her with him. He stared at her, silently demanding an answer for her decisions. He stared at her, refusing to relent his gaze. Kagome sacrificed her will and hiccupped painfully.

She said nothing.

"Why?" he demanded.

Kagome ducked her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hiccupped.

Inuyasha sighed. "Why didn't you tell me he was doing this to you?"

Kagome shook her head, tears sprinkling the ground like rain drops.

"You wanted me to help you," he whispered, "didn't you? That's why you were angry with me? That's why Miroku's been on my case. You've wanted me to stand behind you like you've stood behind me, haven't you?"

Kagome felt foolish. "I expected too much of you."

"Damn right you did," he agreed. "How can you expect me to help you if you won't even tell me what's going on?"

"Would you have helped?" Kagome shot back.

Inuyasha knew the answer. Where was all this concern for Kagome stemming from?

He saw the look in her eyes. He remembered Miroku's words.

Yes, he remembered now.

He released her wrists and touched her cheeks. She skirted away, hitting the wall instead. She kept crying. He followed her, touching her shoulders instead and gripping the bony structure. He saw her clenched eyes, boiling over with tears and spilling down her cheeks like small rivers.

"Don't look," she pleaded. She turned her face away.

"Why shouldn't I?" he questioned, touching her cheek again. He hated to be touched, but he'd banished his fear for the sake of Kagome. He didn't like to see her crying. He hated it when girls cried, especially when he knew that, partially, it was his fault.

He thought of Kagome's father again and felt his anger surge. How dare he do this to his own daughter?

"I'll be fine," Kagome said as her hands covered his own, silently pulling his hands away from her burning, wet cheeks. "It's going to be okay."

Why was she reassuring him? It should have been the other way around; he should be the one reassuring her and telling her that it would be okay. He didn't need reassurance and sympathy, Kagome was crying. Kagome was upset. Kagome, a girl who deserved all the love in the world, was banished away from her only family and left to fend for herself alone.

He grasped her shoulders and dragged her to him, holding her close and hugging her. Kagome gasped in surprise, never expecting Inuyasha to initiate a hug in the first place. He gripped her tightly.

"Inuyasha…" she murmured.

"From now on," he vowed quietly, almost so low that Kagome almost didn't hear him. "I'll be here for you."

Kagome clenched her eyes shut, thankful tears leaking from her eyes and a watery smile piercing her lips.

"It's going to be okay," he murmured. "I promise."

And everything fell away.


	16. Chapter 16: Hands and Hearts

**Daughters  
Chapter Sixteen: Hands and Hearts **

* * *

Kagome felt herself falling away from the realm of sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the fuzziness and confusion often following a dream. She rolled over, rubbing her blurred eyes until the world came into focus and her eyes locked on a beautiful pair of eyes.

"You're awake," a small voice whispered, and a familiar scent drifted into Kagome's senses. She blinked slowly and locked on the blue eyes, unlike her own, staring at her dimly. "Good morning."

"Souta?" Kagome whispered, sitting up, unsure whether to push it all away as a dream or to jump and scream. She hadn't seen her little brother in ages because her father only brought him home between school years and never for any other holiday. It'd been so long since she'd seen him—a little over four months, almost five. "What are you doing here?"

"Dad didn't tell you," her little brother stated instead of asked. Kagome shrugged half-heartedly, knowing that her father hadn't contacted her since he'd kicked her out—nearly three weeks ago. Souta sighed, looking saddened.

"How'd you get in?" Kagome asked, quickly changing the subject.

"You didn't lock your door," Souta said, looking like a miffed adult more than her little brother. "That's very irresponsible, Kagome. Especially in this part of town."

"When did you get in here?" Kagome asked, kicking her blankets off her futon and standing up. Souta went with her.

"Nearly an hour ago, I didn't want to wake you up," he quickly explained when Kagome opened her mouth to protest his early arrival, "you think it would have killed Dad to get you a little better living quarters."

"I don't want to be a bother," Kagome said honestly, remembering her conversation with Inuyasha.

Souta snorted. "Dad and that witch are more of a bother for you than the other way around," he scoffed. Souta's bitter distaste for Abi was obvious. Kagome smiled silently and followed after her brother as the pre-teen toddled into the kitchen. "It's so stupid that they'd do this to you."

"You were always more outspoken than me," Kagome said, laughing quietly. Souta frowned, finding no humor in Kagome's words.

Souta picked up a plate and thrust it towards her. He blushed at her confused look. "I made you breakfast while you were sleeping."

"Thank you, Souta," Kagome said, feeling a rush of gratitude and happiness flow through her. She knew that her brother cared and right now, she was incredibly thankful that he was here.

Sister and brother enjoyed a pleasant morning, each catching up on their own school lives (and Kagome even managing to bother Souta about any girls, to which Souta replied bitterly that there were no girls at his school). The entire atmosphere was light-hearted and gentle, a startling contrast to the conversations she'd had with her father and even Inuyasha. Everything seemed so carefree for just one, pleasant second.

"So, why did Dad pull you out for summer vacation?" Kagome questioned. "He's never done it before because Abi always said that he shouldn't reward you for going to military school."

Souta scowled at the mentioning of Abi. He hated the woman more than Kagome did.

"I can't believe he didn't even call you," Souta said, amazed. His amazement was tinged with his obvious anger at his father for keeping whatever it was from his eldest child.

"What are you talking about?" Kagome questioned. "Did something bad happen?"

Her heart spiked, afraid that something had happened to her father. Or, maybe Abi.

"Depends on how you look at it," Souta said bitterly. He paused, mulling over his empty cup of tea. He rolled the mug in his hands, wrapping his small fingers around the light blue mug. His nose crinkled and he shifted uncomfortably. "Abi had her baby five days ago."

Kagome wasn't sure how to react to the information.

"It's a girl," Souta finished, frowning deeply at his empty breakfast plate.

"O-oh," Kagome murmured. She'd always hoped it wouldn't be a girl. Somehow, it felt like she truly was being shoved from the family. She, the first-born, shoved away from the pristine little family only to be replaced with a perfect little girl. "What's her name…?"

"Himeko," Souta said, anger dripping from his voice as he glared out the window, his dark blue eyes swirling with his anger and emotions. "_Little Princess._"

Kagome clenched her mug. "Well, Himeko-Chan will grow up with a good home, I suppose."

Souta snorted. He rested his chin in his hand. The time seemed to pass so slowly. Everything in the world swirled around them, turning slowly as if caught in honey. Souta glared out the window while Kagome stared at the table, her blue eyes wide and unblinking.

Himeko would grow up with her father and Abi, and she would be happy. The little girl would love her mother and father and not care about her two older half siblings. By the time the little child would be five Kagome would be in her twenties and Souta nearly graduated. Himeko would never know Kagome, the way her relationship with her father was shaping up.

"He pulled out you from school so you could see her?" Kagome questioned.

"She's cute, I hate to admit," Souta said with a sigh. "She has blue eyes, too."

Kagome crossed her arms, trying to still her racing heart and the overwhelming sadness that seemed to flow from her. She sniffled, even though she didn't feel like crying. Her throat stung even though she hadn't been screaming.

"She looks just like Dad," Souta said quietly, gripping the table. Kagome nodded numbly.

The world seemed so surreal in that moment. Like Kagome was looking through a window, or a fishbowl, trying to get in, tapping at the glass, suspended in air. Reaching, always reaching.

She swirled her finger along the soft grain of her kitchen table.

She felt like she'd been forgotten. Forsaken. But, at the same time, she felt a tiny smile tugging at her lips.

Kagome hoped her father was happy.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Rin-Chan!" Kagome announced, producing a small, wrapped present. Rin beamed and squealed happily, plucking the proffered gift and twirling around, looking up at Inuyasha for approval. When he nodded, she darted away, giggling as she went.

"Who're you?" Inuyasha asked the boy behind Kagome. He frowned and gave Inuyasha a once over. He was tall for his age and stared at Inuyasha with the same intense blue eyes as Kagome. The dark shade of grey observed him before looking at Kagome hesitantly.

"This is my baby brother, Souta," Kagome said, beaming proudly, as if Souta were her son and not her brother. She patted the boy's head happily, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Hi," Souta said with a tiny wave, staring at Inuyasha in a look of what Kagome couldn't tell was frightened or awed. Perhaps a mixture of both. He stared at Inuyasha for a moment before turning his eyes away and looking at Kagome, an indescribable look in his eyes. He looked mystified.

Kagome and Souta entered and Kagome ushered the preteen to where Rin was watching television. He sat down next to her and they watched the cartoons together. Inuyasha sighed and retreated to the kitchen, where he was making food for Rin's birthday celebration.

"Are we the only ones?" Kagome questioned, following after Inuyasha.

Inuyasha shrugged. "She just wanted a family party, and then wanted to invite you."

"Sorry I brought Souta over without asking first," Kagome said sheepishly. "I hadn't known he was coming until I woke up this morning. Dad actually pulled him out for summer vacation." She smiled, her blue eyes glowing. "I haven't seen him in so long, it's great that he's doing so well."

Inuyasha sighed and watched Rin and Souta through the doorway. He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I hope you don't mind," Kagome prodded gently.

"Nah," he said, stirring ingredients into a bowl before throwing them into a frying pan. Kagome watched him, leaning against the counter and staying out of his way. No more words passed between them and Kagome contented herself watching the boy work and nothing more.

A gentle kind of feeling hung in the air. It twirled and encircled. But they said nothing.

Kagome smiled warmly, watching his pronounced profile as he worked. He felt her gaze and resisted the urge to turn to look at her. His cheeks turned pink and he quickly turned away, busying himself with kitchen work to keep her from seeing his reaction.

"Are you going to stand there or help me?" Inuyasha groused, his head ducked, his black bangs shielding his lavender eyes.

Kagome, startled, stood up straighter. "Sorry. I'll help."

She approached him and he handed her the bowl, instructing her to stir as he did something else. Kagome stirred idly, watching him, the smile still on her lips.

It almost seemed natural to be standing in the kitchen with him as he worked. Outside the kitchen Kagome heard the sounds of Rin and Souta laughing. So they liked each other. She was so glad.

She looked at Inuyasha and saw that he was listening to the laughter in the other room, too. His hands were poised idly above a cutting board. He was completely trained to the sounds of Rin's laughter. Kagome stared at him in wonderment as the tiniest of smiles spread across his lips and he looked back down, cutting vegetables quickly and expertly. He'd been practicing.

"She's very cute," Kagome said at last and Inuyasha paused looking at her in confusion. Kagome looked down at the mixture in her arms to keep from staring at Inuyasha. "Rin is a sweet and cute little girl. You should be proud."

She lifted her head and saw Inuyasha looking at her, a soft look in his eyes.

* * *

"I'm glad we had a good time," Kagome said as they walked away towards Kagome's home. Souta trailed beside her, hands in his pockets as he watched his sister in the dying summer day sunlight. "I'm glad that Inuyasha liked you."

"He liked me?" Souta asked, shocked. "He barely talked to me or did anything."

"I can tell," Kagome said, smiling. "He liked you."

"Probably because I'm related to you," Souta snickered and watched his sister's face turn red. "If I'm related to Kagome then I must be great, right?" Kagome's entire face felt like it would explode. "You like him," he sang out, "you like him."

Kagome covered her mouth, feeling her entire face heat up. _'I thought I was being subtle about it with him. Souta's too observant, I guess.'_

"I guess I'll drop you off at Dad's," Kagome said, changing the subject. "He'll probably want you home soon."

"I wanted to stay with you, though," Souta said, frowning deeply. They waited for the light to change so they could cross the street. Cars whizzed by and Souta observed his sister, who gazed up at the sky silently, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Can't I stay with you?"

"Dad wouldn't want that," Kagome said, shaking her head.

"Why are you still taking orders from him?" Souta demanded. "He doesn't have control over you anymore."

Kagome gave her brother a stricken expression and Souta regretted pointing out that Kagome had been practically disowned by their father. She stared at her feet and they silently crossed the street.

"I want Dad to be happy," Kagome said at last, kicking a tiny pebble down the street and following after it. Souta felt his anger boil. "And without him I'd be homeless."

"Aren't you angry?" Souta said as they walked home. "Dad and Abi have completely destroyed our lives." He desperately wanted Kagome to be on his side. She was the last one he had. Without her, he was fighting a losing battle. He needed Kagome to be angry too, to be angry at her father and at Abi. "You should be angry."

"I don't think they've completely destroyed it," Kagome admitted, walking down the street. She heard Souta toddling behind her and slowed her pace to allow him to catch up.

"Kagome!" Souta looked outraged when she turned around to look at him. "Dad's dumped you in a crappy apartment and completely severed you from the family!"

Silence fell between them. Souta pouted.

"I know," Kagome whispered weakly.

Souta let it drop. Despite the fact that Kagome hadn't been getting along with her father for the longest time, it was evident of her devotion and love for the man. Despite all his shortcomings, Kagome could still stand there and believe that that man was worthy of being her father.

Souta said nothing for the longest time.

"Hey," he said at last, an idea lighting up his blue eyes. "Why don't you move in with Inuyasha? I'm sure there's room for you to live there."

"Are you out of your mind?" Kagome said, laughing. She stopped walking and grasped her stomach, laughing hysterically at the mere idea of living with Inuyasha. Souta stood awkwardly, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red at his sister's reaction. He hadn't thought what he said was funny. In fact, he'd been quite serious. "Me? Live with Inuyasha! Oh God, that's funny."

"Well, why not?" Souta demanded feeling embarrassed from his sister's reaction to his very serious proposal.

Kagome shook her head. "I could never ask Inuyasha to do that. There's no way that I could. I mean, he's got enough to deal with his job and with Rin, the last thing he needs is a stray teenaged girl living under his roof. Besides, there's no room for me in that apartment."

"But Inuyasha would—"

"Inuyasha wouldn't, Souta," Kagome said firmly. She tilted her head towards the sky. "Inuyasha is my friend, but I would never force myself on him like that. It'd be too awkward and uncomfortable. He already gives me money to look after Rin and he's given me a raise. That in itself is so incredibly kind, I could never ask for more."

"But Kagome… you like Inuyasha! I can tell by looking at you. Wouldn't you want to stay with him?"

Kagome snorted. "I would just be in Inuyasha's way. He wouldn't want me there. We may be friends, but we're not so close that we can share an apartment."

"But I'm sure he likes you, too!" Souta demanded, clenching his fists. Kagome's heart thumped abnormally in her chest. "Inuyasha wouldn't turn Kagome away!"

"Souta…" Kagome trailed off, a strange pall smothering her.

"You need to get away from Dad! You need to set up your own life. Inuyasha would help you. Inuyasha wouldn't turn you away." Souta was frantic. He wanted his sister to be happy. And he liked Inuyasha well enough to trust him with her. "Please, Kagome!"

"I can't, Souta," Kagome said, looking sad and frustrated at the same time. "Even if I do like Inuyasha… even if we are friends… even if he were to let me stay… I couldn't. I wouldn't."

"But why not?" Souta nearly screeched.

Kagome was silent for a long time, staring at her feet. She gripped her hands, interlacing her fingers and toeing the ground. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest and she felt her face turn pink.

"Because…" Kagome murmured. She sighed deeply, black hair spilling over her slumping shoulders. She rubbed her eyes, though she wasn't crying. She took a deep breath and looked at her brother, a hesitant smile on her face. "I need to show him that I'll be okay."

"What?"

"I cannot rely on Inuyasha forever," Kagome murmured, placing her hands over her thudding heart. "I need to prove to him that I can take care of myself, that I am strong. I need to show Inuyasha that he doesn't have to worry about me. I cannot rely on him."

"That's a stupid reason!"

"It's important to me," Kagome said, tipping her head back towards the sky. A bird flew lazily, returning to her nest before the sun set. Cars whizzed by. "I need to show him that I can love him and be strong."

Souta's mouth flopped open as he stared at her sister. She seemed to grow ten more years right before his eyes. He blinked. Where had this change come from? Was this really his sister?

"I need to show Inuyasha," Kagome said after a long pause, "that I can help him."

"But…"

"No, Souta."

Souta frowned and ducked his head, looking miffed. He followed after his sister, knowing that the mere idea of Kagome living with Inuyasha was ridiculous but he wished it could be so. He didn't like the idea of Kagome living alone and knew that Inuyasha probably hated it, too. But Kagome wouldn't ask and Inuyasha wouldn't offer.

"This is all that witch's fault," Souta said at last. "I hate her!"

"Hate is a strong word, Souta," Kagome said quietly.

"But it's true," he insisted, clenching his fists. "Aren't you angry at everything that they've done?"

"I can't deny that I'm angry with them," Kagome said at last. "But he's my dad, and I could never wish any ill of him."

"But why not?" Souta demanded.

"Because Abi makes Dad happy," Kagome said tenderly, her entire face paled as the words passed through her lips. "She may have made me miserable, and she may make you cringe… but Dad is happy. And that's all I could ask for."

"What?" Souta barked.

"If Dad's happy, then I can tolerate Abi. If she makes him happy, then who am I to try and break them apart or want them to break apart? She may make me miserable, she may make me exiled from the family… but as long as Dad's smiling, then it's okay."

"What?" Souta repeated. "Kagome, how can you think like that? Dad kicked you out! How can you care whether or not he's happy?"

"I don't know, Souta," Kagome admitted, looking incredibly peaceful as she leaned against a lamp post. She sniffled but no tears fell from her eyes. "I just don't know."

Souta stepped forward and grasped his sister, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head against her back. He heard her try to suppress a sob and grasped her tighter. They stood like that silently for the longest time, no words passing between them. They seemed like ghosts on the street corner, watching the world trickle by them.

"I will never forgive them," Souta said at last, "for making you cry so much."

"Souta," Kagome murmured, feeling the warmth of her brother's body and wishing that it could last forever. Her brother gave her the one thing that not even Inuyasha could give her. Not even her father could give her now. Not even her dead mother could give her a glimmer of it now. Souta gave her the reassurance and love of her closet relative.

She turned around and grasped her brother, holding him tightly and cushioning her head against his shoulder, drawing comfort from the remarkably younger boy. No words whispered from her lips. No words filtered through his lips. He just held her and comforted her, just as a brother should.

"Why do you always sacrifice your happiness for others?" Souta murmured. Kagome held him tighter. "I want Kagome to be happy."

"Thank you," Kagome said, a tiny smile pulling her lips. "Thank you, baby brother."

* * *

Inuyasha stood stupidly, unsure what to make of what he was about to do. He'd drifted again, wandering around meaninglessly. But, now he was in front of the door he knew he'd never want to stand in front of. Kagome had given him the address. She'd hinted that he should go and see him. He hadn't wanted to.

The nameplate on the side of the apartment door said Endo. He swallowed. He started thinking about what he was doing there. He knew he was being stupid. But he also knew that he didn't want to see Miroku.

"This is stupid," he muttered. "Let's just go home."

He turned to leave and Rin stared at him, determined. Her eyes narrowed as she gave him an intense look. He stood, rooted, surprised to see such an expression on her face.

Rin marched forward and lifted her hand. Inuyasha knew what she was about to do but was unable to stop her. She pounded on the door hard and then sat down on the ground, staring up at him as if just asking him to try and run away.

He heard footsteps. He felt a cold sweat collect on his forehead and wondered why he was so worried about Miroku seeing him. They'd had a fight. So what? It wasn't as if he were afraid of what Miroku thought and whether they were friends or not.

But Inuyasha knew that was a lie, too.

The door open and Miroku's blue eyes locked on Inuyasha's own violet orbs. They stood, staring at one another, surprise clearly written on each other's faces. Rin continued sitting, observing the interaction between the two boys.

Miroku's shocked expression quickly disappeared as he observed Inuyasha. He stared at him for a long moment, betraying no emotion. His blue eyes swirled. "Hello," he finally said. "Inuyasha."

"Uh, hi," Inuyasha said uneasily, feeling awkward and exposed under the boy's gaze.

He looked down at Rin helplessly. The little girl titled her head and stared at Miroku. "May we come in?"

Miroku's head swiveled as he stared down at Rin. Then he sighed and stepped aside, presenting the doorway to the two visitors. Rin happily got off and entered, giving her caretaker a look to show she expected him to follow. Inuyasha frowned at the way Rin was controlling him. He was not okay with this situation.

"Are you thirsty?" Miroku questioned as he walked in front of them. "I have some juices if you'd like."

Inuyasha didn't say anything and looked around Miroku's apartment. Rin toddled along after Miroku, requesting some juice. Inuyasha stood in the foyer, staring at the small apartment before him. It was similar to his own apartment minus the size. Miroku's home was much smaller than his.

"I'm afraid my foster father isn't in right now," Miroku explained gently as he handed Rin a small can of apple juice. "But I'm sure he sends his regards."

Foster father.

It became increasingly clear to Inuyasha that he didn't know a thing about Miroku. The boy was always there, almost like an annoying fly that wouldn't go away. But Inuyasha didn't know anything about Miroku aside from his name and his behavior. But just then, and during their fight, he seemed like a completely different person.

Inuyasha watched Rin idly. Miroku leaned against the wall, staring out the window on the opposite side of the room. He crossed his arms and sighed, refusing to make eye contact with Inuyasha. The atmosphere in the room was rough and Inuyasha could feel it, as if it were tangible.

"I… uh…" Inuyasha started then trailed off.

Miroku glanced at him, his blue eyes clouded and his lips quirked downwards. Inuyasha froze. Why was it so hard to say?

"I talked to Kagome the other day," Miroku said casually, inspecting his long sleeved shirt for pieces of lint and flicking small pieces of dust from the article of clothing. He still refused to look at Inuyasha. "She seems to be doing better now that Souta has visited."

"Oh… yeah…" Inuyasha said lamely.

"Have you talked to her?" Miroku questioned, staring at his clasped hands.

"Yeah," Inuyasha said hesitantly. He stared at his feet. "I did."

"Hm," Miroku said.

"Miroku, I…" Inuyasha paused. He licked his dried lips. "I mean to… that is…"

The boy shifted and lifted his head, staring at the stuttering Inuyasha. He didn't say anything and his face betrayed no emotion yet it managed to root Inuyasha to the spot and forget the words he was trying to say. Why couldn't he say it? Why was it so hard?

"If you've got nothing to say," Miroku said at last when the silence between them became deafening. He looked disappointed. He looked sad. He looked tired. "Then maybe you should leave."

"I," Inuyasha whispered. He internally screamed at himself; why wasn't he talking? Why couldn't he say what he needed to be say? Why was he so much of a coward?

Miroku sighed and turned away, exposing his back to Inuyasha. He stared at the wall. "It doesn't matter."

But it did.

Anyone with eyes could see the pain dripping between the two high school boys. Inuyasha's fists clenched.

"I think I always knew that Kagome liked me," Inuyasha said at last, surprising even himself. He swallowed. "I just didn't want to see it."

Miroku glanced at Inuyasha over his shoulder, a disapproving look dancing in his eyes.

"And I know that I wasn't taking good care of her. I know I wasn't being a good person." Why was he saying this? This wasn't what he wanted to say at all! Why was he saying this? He felt his frustration dance within his gut. "But I think it was unfair of you to saddle me with her problems as if it were my responsibility to fix something I knew nothing about."

Miroku frowned and turned to face Inuyasha completely.

"That is to say…" Inuyasha trailed off.

Miroku lowered his gaze, looking thoughtful. He didn't say anything but a strange air of acceptance seemed to hang in the air, silently swaying between them like a flag caught in a lazy wind.

Miroku opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure what to say. Words failed him.

Suddenly, there was the sound of small footsteps.

Rin grabbed Miroku's pant leg and tugged. Miroku looked down. "Inu-oniichan is sorry. Forgive Inu-oniichan. That's what he's trying to say." She gave Miroku a very determined look, her lips thinning and her eyebrows slanted downwards. "I want you to forgive Inu-oniichan, too. He's lonely without Miroku-Kun."

Whether or not Miroku was surprised by the way Rin said his name or whether or not he was surprised by Rin's dramatic speech Inuyasha wasn't sure. Miroku stared at Rin, shocked, for a long moment.

Then his entire face seemed to melt and he gave Rin the sweetest, kindest smile Inuyasha had ever seen on the boy's face. Never before had he seen such an expression on Miroku's face. He looked incredibly happy.

He knelt down and patted Rin's head. "Okay."

Inuyasha stood flabbergasted as Miroku stood back up and turned to face the lavender-eyed boy. The smile on his lips dimmed but remained intact as he took a step forward. He blew out a stream of air upwards, causing his bangs to ruffle and dance across his forehead.

"I forgive you," he said simply, staring at the boy.

Inuyasha frowned, feeling foolish. He nodded.

Miroku, still smiling, stepped forward and opened up his arms, wrapping them around the other boy before he could say anything. Inuyasha stood, his eyes wide and his entire body stiff as a board as his best friend gave him a hug he'd never seen coming.

"Everything's okay now," Miroku murmured as he hugged Inuyasha tighter. "I'm sorry, too."

Inuyasha felt his body slacken and he awkwardly patted Miroku's back. He sighed, "I deserved it."

Rin beamed at the two of them.

* * *

"Thank you!" Rin chirped as Inuyasha set a plate of fries in front of her. She started eating, her legs swinging from the tall counter stool she sat in. Behind the counter lining the beginning of the kitchen, Inuyasha stood, wiping his hands as he watched Rin.

His coworker, Yuka, glanced at him where she was standing behind the counter, at the other end. She watched as Inuyasha patted Rin's head and warned her not to inhale all the food too quickly.

"Shinkanshi-Senpai," the high school junior said to her senior, coming over to stand next to him. "Is this your little sister?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha asked, raising his eyebrows, observing Yuka like she'd grown a second head. "No."

Yuka blinked and turned her attention towards Rin, who grinned back at her, fry poised to be shoved into her mouth. "Hi, my name's Rin!"

"Hello, Rin-Chan," Yuka said warmly, "I'm Yuka."

She straightened and watched an embarrassed Inuyasha turn away, collecting plates. She didn't pretend to know anything about her coworker but in that moment he'd looked rather sweet. She turned back towards Rin and inspected her.

"You two must be related," Yuka said, beaming. "You two look similar. You two have the same nose." She poked Rin's nose and the little girl giggled and hit her with the same fry. "So cute."

"It's our grandfather's nose. Rin's my cousin," Inuyasha said and batted Yuka away and forced the fry out of Rin's hand to prevent her from eating the dirty piece of potato. Rin fisted some more fries and ignored the absence of her last one. She continued eating and Yuka watched as Inuyasha fussed over her.

"Well, I should be getting back to work. Bye-bye Rin-Chan. See you later, Shinkanshi-Senpai," Yuka said with a wave before disappearing to the other side of the restaurant, working with the customers. Every so often she'd glance over her shoulders at Inuyasha and his little cousin, amused at the small interactions between the two.

"I hope Kagome-Chan is having a good time with Souta-Kun," Rin said as she finished off her plate of fries, licking her fingers as she spoke. Inuyasha nodded silently, leaning against the counter and waiting for customers he could serve—or for his shift to end.

Kagome typically would be watching Rin while Inuyasha was at work. But Souta and she had gone out to spend the day together and who was he to deny her some family fun? Heavens knew that she deserved some free time with her brother.

Inuyasha sighed and wiped at the counter idly. Rin kicked out her feet, humming happily.

"I hope she's having a good time, too," Inuyasha spoke and ruffled Rin's head, watching as she giggled and smiled at her cousin. Inuyasha released a small little grunt of amusement.

For the rest of his shift Inuyasha worked to serve customers only to be interrupted every time he passed. Rin would grasp his uniform shirt as if trying to solidify that Inuyasha was still there and wasn't going away. He would sigh irritably and turn towards Rin, giving her a look and gently releasing her hold on his shirt.

Customers watched, amused, as the boy was interrupted by the little girl—seeing as her position made it unavoidable for him to not pass her as she was on the way to the kitchen. They admired the adorable little girl who was so well mannered with the waiter.

Inuyasha, once his shift ended, took Rin away, convinced that he would never bring her to his work ever again. He sighed and held Rin's hand, tugging her down the street silently. Rain fell silently and Inuyasha greeted the rain, letting it drip on his shoulders and head while Rin held a tiny pink umbrella aloft, protecting herself from the summer rain.

"I liked your work," Rin announced, despite the fact she'd had to wait for Inuyasha for his six-hour shift. "I liked watching Inu-oniichan."

"If you keep talking like that, Rin, you're going to end up wanting to marry me," Inuyasha muttered.

"I do want to marry Inu-oniichan," Rin announced and Inuyasha nearly smashed into a lamppost.

"W-what?" he said, baffled, looking down at his younger cousin, shocked.

She gave him a very serious look, her brown eyes staring up at him. "I want to marry Inu-oniichan when I grow up."

He stood there, staring down at the little girl, holding her tiny little hand, and realizing what an impact he had on her life. He blinked, trying to process her small little sentences. She grinned, revealing missing teeth and her tiny pink tongue.

"I like it when Inu-oniichan is nice to me," Rin declared happily.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I'm never nice to you."

Rin laughed, delighted. She continued to grin up at him and any lesser man's heart would have melted right on the spot. He cleared his throat and looked away, feeling his cheeks turn pink at her attentions.

Rin skipped ahead, swinging her umbrella above her head until it flew from her fingertips and clattered along the sidewalk.

He sighed and quickened his pace, scooping up the pink umbrella and following her. "Rin, don't drop this or else you'll get a cold."

Rin laughed, twirled around a lamppost and smiled brightly up at Inuyasha. She reached out her tiny hands to him, forever reaching for the young man who protected her and took care of her.

He stood, rooted to the ground as she reached out her hands and touched his own, drawing the larger, manlier hand into her tiny little ones. She pulled him down and he knelt, staring at her in confusion.

"Can I hug you?" she questioned and Inuyasha wondered why she bothered to ask.

He frowned. "Do what you want."

"Answer me," she commanded. Inuyasha blinked and avoided eye contact. The little girl gripped his hands and stared at his cheek determined. She didn't move and refused to relinquish her tiny hold on her caretaker.

Silence passed between them. Inuyasha sighed.

"Come here," he demanded and pulled her to him, pulling her into a tiny, slightly awkward hug. Rin laughed and smiled brightly, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck and holding him there, ignoring the onslaught of summer rains.

Her tiny words slipped out, so quietly that Inuyasha almost missed them. "I love Inu-oniichan."

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he held the little girl. He continued to hold her.

Nothing seemed to change. The world hadn't stopped. He hadn't woken up. The world continued moving, ticking away from him, swirling around him. He tensed for only a moment before he tightened his hold on Rin.

How long had he longed to hear such words? Those three words… he hadn't heard them in so long. They were distant. They were like phantoms, haunting his dreams and memories.

"Rin," he breathed, surprised that his own words could fail him so absolutely.

His entire body ached. His heart thumped and pined. He held her tightly. He held the little girl, the little memory of who he once was, of who he could have been.

It was amazing to him that in such a short time things had changed. He could still remember, distantly, the times when he observed Rin as no more than a hassle and an inconvenience. He could recall his distant feelings of almost hating Rin and wishing that she'd just go away. When had his heart melted?

"How do you feel for me?" Rin whispered when she felt his silence had stretched on long enough.

Inuyasha tried to collect his words. He couldn't find them.

He held her tighter, trying to convey his words through his actions. Rin responded, tightening her hold on his neck and cushioning her head in the crook of his shoulder. The rain drenched them but Inuyasha no longer cared. The pink umbrella rolled idly on the street corner.

When had he stopped seeing Rin as an inconvenience? When had Rin nestled so firmly into his heart? He'd lost track of the time that had slipped between them.

"Do you love Rin?" Rin murmured.

Inuyasha's hold was so tight he was surprised Rin could still speak—let alone breathe. He felt his head nod against her and Rin released the tiniest of noises—a content noise.

He couldn't remember when he'd stopped thinking of Rin as his annoying, hassling cousin. He couldn't remember when he'd started thinking of Rin as his daughter. But it didn't matter when it started. As long as it didn't end. Rin was his daughter now.

"Yes."


	17. Chapter 17: Dead Wrong

**Daughters  
Chapter Seventeen: Dead Wrong**

* * *

The heavy knocking at the door alerted Mr. Higurashi that someone was on the other side. He glanced over at Abi, who was busy feeding their child Himeko. She gave him a look that clearly told him that she hadn't called anyone. The person on the other side of the door was an unexpected arrival.

He sighed and heaved himself up from the table, setting his newspaper down next to his steaming cup of coffee. Padding across the threshold, the new father reached for the door handle and opened the door to the visitor.

Inuyasha Shinkanshi stared at him darkly from the other side of the doorframe.

Mr. Higurashi made to slam the door shut but Inuyasha shoved his foot into the doorway, deflecting the door's slamming with only a small hiss of pain from the high school boy. Mr. Higurashi screwed up his face, giving the boy an angry look before trying to kick the boy's foot away.

"I have nothing to say to you," the man said stubbornly. He truly didn't. Inuyasha had come to his house twice now: first to look for Kagome and be completely rude, and the second time to wrestle his daughter's address from him. Both times he'd been unpleasant and rude and Mr. Higurashi did not wish to repeat the visits, especially with his little Himeko in the world.

"Tough shit," the boy said harshly, never failing to spout out a rude remark while in the presence of Kagome's father. "Because I've got something to say to you."

Mr. Higurashi refused to open the door to Inuyasha and tried to shut the door on the boy's foot in an attempt to knock the appendage aside. Inuyasha ignored the man's attempts and bumped his hip against the door as it sailed towards him, knocking it back towards the flabbergasted man.

"You don't have to let me in," Inuyasha snarled. "But you better damn well listen to what I've got to say."

"Fine," the man groused, realizing that the teenager wasn't going to go away until he said what he needed to. "But make it quick."

Inuyasha gave him a glare, illustrating his dislike of being ordered around by someone that wasn't his grandfather or Kagome (who also witnessed his wrath when they tried to assert their authority as well.) He paused, as if trying to draw out the unwelcome visit and make the father squirm.

Mr. Higurashi's eyebrows slanted downward and he fixed Inuyasha with an irate glare that would motivate Inuyasha to speak quickly so that he could get back to his everyday life and just as quickly forget that the boy had ever disturbed his life with his unwanted presence.

After Inuyasha determined that the awkward silence dancing between the two men had gone on long enough, Inuyasha spoke, "Stop treating Kagome like you have been."

"What?" the man barked. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting from the boy, but that certainly hadn't been it.

"You heard me," the boy asserted, glaring at him persistently. "What kind of father are you, anyways? I thought that after you cooled off a bit you'd apologize to her and try to make up with her. But no! Do you have any damned idea what you're doing to her?"

"Who are you to lecture me?" the man snapped. "You're not a father. How can you possibly understand what I'm going through?"

"I'm no father," Inuyasha agreed. "But at least I know how to treat a daughter."

He thought of Rin, back at the apartment with Kagome. Kagome had no idea what he was doing. He'd finished his shift and returned home. Rin was taking a nap and Kagome was sitting there, looking just as she always did.

They'd talked, just as they always did. Kagome was cheerful, just as she always was. But Inuyasha hadn't been convinced. Something was different about Kagome. She wasn't cheerful. She wasn't happy. She was in pain.

He'd pretended to have left his wallet back at his work and left to go retrieve it, instructing Kagome to stay where she was and look after Rin.

Now, he found himself in front of Mr. Higurashi, protecting Kagome as if he had some obligation to do so. Who was he to do something out of the charity of his own heart? He swallowed and thought bitterly of his situation. He crossed his arms and assured his foot was still in the doorway. He wouldn't have Mr. Higurashi suddenly slamming the door in his face just to get out of this talk they were having at the front door.

"You think just because you look after your little cousin you can give out advice on how to be a father?" the man barked.

"I never said that," Inuyasha hissed.

"But that's exactly what you're doing," the man retorted. "I don't have to listen to this crap."

Mr. Higurashi made to slam the door again but Inuyasha's fist rushed out and slammed against the door, sending out a loud, sickening smacking noise that startled the man. Inuyasha leaned his face in, unrestrained anger dancing in his eyes, his face contorted into a disgusted sneer.

"Just because I'm not a father," Inuyasha murmured, "does not mean you should brush me aside. Just because I haven't lived with Rin since the day she was born doesn't mean that I have no? validation in my words. Just because you think of me as a stupid, useless teenager does not mean that I have no right to try and help her."

He glared darkly at the man, his entire body rigid and prepared to resort to violence if the case presented itself. Mr. Higurashi stared at the teenaged boy in shock, his eyes widened and his entire body frozen under such an intense and deadly gaze.

"Kagome loves you," he snapped, "but that doesn't mean she has a right to be pushed around by you."

"What do you want? I support her financially. Is this what this is about? Does she need more money?" Mr. Higurashi reached for his wallet. "If that's all she needs."

Inuyasha slammed his fist again, freezing Mr. Higurashi's descent for his wallet.

"This has nothing to do with money," he snapped. "This has to do with Kagome! Are you such a fool that you can't see what's right in front of you and walking away?"

The man bristled. "I'm certain I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're killing your daughter," Inuyasha stated. Mr. Higurashi stared. "Do you know that?"

Mr. Higurashi stared at the boy. He knew what he was getting at. He knew that Kagome was being ripped apart. But she… But she was…

The man lowered his head a fraction of an inch, feeling as if he were drowning in his thoughts. Inuyasha continued to stare at him, gauging his reaction to such harsh words. His eyes were narrowed and burning with his anger. He clenched his hands into fists. He leaned against the door, opening it a small ways so that he could stand directly in front of the man who Kagome called her father.

It was in that moment that Inuyasha realized how tiny and insignificant this man was. Inuyasha towered over him by nearly a head. He looked old. He looked worthless. He looked like something to be pitied.

Inuyasha leaned against the door further and Mr. Higurashi let the door open completely and Inuyasha stepped into the doorway. He stared at the man before him and the man took a small step backwards.

"Maybe you hadn't meant to do it," Inuyasha said at last. "But Kagome's heart is broken. You're all that she has left. Her mother is dead. Her brother is never home. She only has you. And you chose your wife over her. Where is Kagome to go now?"

The man tilted his head upwards, staring at the ceiling, his lips pursed and his dark eyes glowing with his emotions.

"Why are you telling me this?"

The boy paused and seemed to weigh this question in his head. He sidestepped the question. "Kagome needs you, whether you want her to or not."

"And what am I to do now?" the man barked. "I can't…"

Inuyasha cut him off with his dark look. "Don't ask me for advice on how to mend things with your own daughter. After all, who am I to give advice?"

Silence swayed between them.

"I…"

"I'm not saying you have to do anything," Inuyasha said, cutting him off. He turned to leave, stepping out of the doorway. He glanced at Mr. Higurashi over his shoulder, confident the man wouldn't slam the door on him now. "But if you make Kagome cry anymore you'll have to answer to me. And I won't be as good-natured as I have been if it comes down to that."

Mr. Higurashi stared at him, unsure how to respond to such a threat.

Inuyasha swirled around, beginning to walk down the hallway. Mr. Higurashi watched him go. The boy paused in his retreat, a thought occurring to him. He glanced at the man again.

"She loves you."

Those three words slammed into the man's heart and he couldn't find the courage to shut the door even long after the young man had made his disappearance.

* * *

"You're back," Kagome said as Inuyasha opened the door. "Did you have trouble finding your wallet?"

"Hm?" Inuyasha asked, turning away from her as he slid off his shoes and shut the door. "Yeah, I couldn't remember where I'd dropped it so I had to look around for a while."

"You found it though?" Kagome asked, walking towards him.

He flashed his wallet and waved it. "Yep."

"Good," Kagome said with a smile. "I should be going then."

Inuyasha made a small noise of agreement and stuffed his hands into his pockets, leaning against the door as he watched Kagome get ready to leave. She slipped on her jacket, despite the fact they were on summer vacation it stilled rained tremendously, and slid her feet into her shoes.

He handed over her payment for watching Rin and Kagome pocketed it gratefully, smiling benignly at him.

"Is something the matter?" Kagome said at last. "You seem troubled."

"Nah," Inuyasha waved it off. "I just got in a fight with a coworker. I'm still a little steamed. It's no big deal. The guy's a moron anyway and I just had to point it out to him. I don't think he much appreciated it."

Kagome nodded. She stood there impatiently, waiting for Inuyasha to move aside. When he didn't, she fixed him with an aggravated look.

"Are you going to move? I should be getting home," Kagome said at last, frowning.

"Hm," Inuyasha seemed to think it over. Then shook his head. "Nah."

She frowned, not amused by Inuyasha's odd behavior. "What's gotten into you? I need to get going. Get out of the way."

"Kagome, I think you should talk to your dad," Inuyasha said out of the blue.

"What?" Kagome barked, shocked at his words and unprepared such a declaration. "What are you talking about now?"

"I just think you should." Inuyasha shrugged and stepped aside from the door. "That's all I had to say."

Kagome frowned and opened the door. "Okay, whatever you say, Inuyasha."

"Just trust me," Inuyasha returned as he held the door open for her. Kagome nodded her head, still looking doubtful. But she did not question him again. She waved and smiled, leaving the apartment complex and heading towards her home.

* * *

Mr. Higurashi glanced up from where he was sitting. Abi slumbered on the couch, a small, new-born baby within her arms. He heard a knock at the door and stood, frowning thoughtfully. Padding across the wooden floors of his apartment, the older man reached out a hand. He paused, remembering the last time he'd opened the door without thinking only to be met with an angry whirlwind of frustrated teenager. He sighed gently and opened the door, preparing himself with another onslaught from Inuyasha Shinkanshi.

On the other side of the door, it seemed as if his dead wife was coming back to haunt him.

Kagome stood, her wide blue eyes staring at only him. Mr. Higurashi was hit with a wave of nostalgia.

"Kagome," he said as a greeting. His eldest nodded and looked at him squarely in the eye.

No words passed between them and Mr. Higurashi wasn't sure what to make of this situation. He hadn't spoken to his daughter since he'd kicked her out. Why wasn't she speaking?

He swallowed, feeling as if the silence were going to strangle him. He licked his chapped lips. "Why are you here?"

The words came out harsher than he'd intended and he internally flinched at the rough words dancing from his glib tongue. He cleared his throat and gave his daughter a pleading look, wishing that the pain in her eyes would disappear. That she would disappear. That this would all disappear.

"I'm angry with you, Dad," she said at last. She sounded tired. She sounded remarkably different than when he'd last seen her. She seemed to have aged twenty years. She looked beautiful, just as she always was.

"You are," he agreed. He didn't question. Kagome had every right to be angry with him.

"I'm sorry it took so long to say that," Kagome said quietly. Mr. Higurashi knew she wasn't referring to the time spent standing in his doorway. "Goodbye."

She turned to leave. Mr. Higurashi glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping Abi and Himeko.

"Kagome, wait," he commanded. His daughter did as she was told and stopped, one heel lifted from the ground. She seemed to teeter there for a moment, as if contemplating running away. Then, silently, she turned around to look at him, an impossibly sad look in her eyes.

His breath stilled and he remembered Inuyasha's words. He knew they were true. He hadn't accepted it until he saw her eyes just then. Kagome was suffering. Why was he always so blind to her pain?

"Would you like to see your sister?"

Kagome smiled sadly. "Please."

They entered the apartment and Kagome followed after him as if she'd never been inside the apartment before, despite her life in the apartment for several years. She followed after her father, her hands clenched in front of her and her black hair hanging limply over her eyes.

He motioned for Kagome to sit down at the kitchen table and he retreated to Abi's sleeping from. He grasped his newborn daughter and picked her up. The tiny baby snuggled into her father's warmth and cooed gently, her tiny fist gripping the material of her father's shirt as she slept. The old man smiled warmly.

He returned to Kagome's side and sat beside her, showing the tiny baby to his eldest. Kagome's entire face transformed. The sadness melted away and she gazed lovingly at the little girl, instantly falling in love.

Kagome hesitantly reached out a hand, as if afraid that he would push her away. He nodded and Kagome's fingers traced the tiny curve of Himeko's tiny head, feeling the silkiest hair nestled on the top of her head and the smoothest baby skin.

"So cute," Kagome cooed as she gazed at her little sister. She smiled, feeling as if she would cry at any moment.

"Would you like to hold her?" Mr. Higurashi asked awkwardly.

Kagome sucked in air. "May I?"

Mr. Higurashi nodded and deposited the little girl into his eldest daughter's arms. Kagome cradled the baby in her arms, staring down at the little girl as if she were her own daughter. She cooed at the little girl, rocking her and gazing at her lovingly, her blue eyes shimmering as she looked.

The baby stirred and opened her eyes—the brightest blue Kagome had ever seen—and looked up to her sister for the first time. The baby yawned, displaying a toothless mouth. The blue eyes blinked and stared at the girl before she smiled brightly up at her older sister and giggled.

Kagome felt her broken heart start to mend at the little girl's laughter.

"She's wonderful," Kagome said at last, looking up at her father, only barely managing to tear her gaze away from Himeko. "She looks just like you."

"Yes," the man said quietly, staring at the baby girl.

Kagome lowered her gaze, feeling a small amount of jealousy creep into her soul despite herself. This baby had all the man's love. She'd worked so hard for his approval, and the little girl had stolen it all away. She quickly banished the thought with a shake of her head. She could not be angry at a baby whose only crime was being born to her family.

"How's Abi?" Kagome questioned, wondering if she truly cared about the woman's wellbeing.

"Still tired and a little sickly," Mr. Higurashi admitted. "This was her first baby, after all. She's never had to experience it before and she is young."

Kagome rocked the baby, cushioning the little child in her arms and remembering times long since passed and gone forever. Silence and peace pushed together, creating a tranquil medley within the small apartment.

Mr. Higurashi cleared his throat. "Shinkanshi Inuyasha was over here a couple days ago."

"Oh," Kagome said, not sure how to react to the information. She'd suspected he had—it would explain his sudden command of her going to see her father. Until today she hadn't had the strength to go to her father's doorstep.

"You're very lucky to have him in your life," Mr. Higurashi said at last, sighing sadly. Kagome glanced at him. "He protects you better than I do."

Kagome shrugged her shoulders, as if trying to show the man that it truly wasn't such a big deal. But the two Higurashi family members knew that that was a lie. It cut Kagome deeply and Mr. Higurashi knew that he'd damaged his daughter.

"I know I'm not a good father, Kagome," Mr. Higurashi admitted and saw the girl shift as she gazed down at the baby. "I tried to ignore the idea of my not treating you right… but I know… he said…" He paused, collecting himself before continuing, "He said things I myself was afraid to admit. He is harsh. But he is wise."

Kagome laughed. "I wonder what he would say if he heard you say that."

"He cares for you deeply," Mr. Higurashi said. "Maybe he's not even aware of it himself. I can see that he wants to protect you and be there for you."

Kagome laughed again, her blue eyes shimmering. "I know. I know he does. Though he'll deny it and call me stupid for daring to suggest such a thing. He's an angry guy… but he's kind. When he wants to be."

She lifted her head and stared at the ceiling, a thoughtful and peaceful expression on her face. She smiled tenderly and Mr. Higurashi felt as if his breath had been stolen. Once again he was looking into the face of his dead wife. He blinked slowly, wondering why he always saw her in his daughter's face. That woman should have been long gone from his memories and his life.

Yet, here she was.

Kagome lowered her gaze back down to stare at Himeko. "Inuyasha… he's… he's hurt, too. I don't know if I, or anyone else, will ever be able to make him truly happy."

Mr. Higurashi mused over these words. "I wouldn't be too sure. You have a way about you, Kagome. Never forget that."

Kagome looked at him, surprise clearly written on her face.

"I think you can heal him," he said at last. "I think he's already letting you into his heart."

Kagome felt herself start to blush and busied herself with Himeko, who idly grasped at her older sister's hair.

"But how would I know if he's happy? He never fails to tell me when he's unhappy," Kagome murmured, bouncing the giggling Himeko.

The bemused father wasn't sure how to respond to such a statement and opted to remain silent, watching as his two daughters interacted for the first time. Himeko was known to cry tremendously, but at this time she was so incredibly happy that Mr. Higurashi was shocked into speechlessness.

"I think she likes me," Kagome said hesitantly, a question in her voice.

"I think she does, too," Mr. Higurashi said at last.

Kagome laughed. Her laughter was dry and hollow compared to the blissful ignorance dancing in his youngest daughter's baby giggles.

The nostalgia hit Mr. Higurashi like a wave. He watched Kagome, the spitting image of his dead wife. Her hair. Her lips. Her nose. Her face. Her body. Her personality. It was as if his wife had been reincarnated.

He tipped his head, staring at her. Then he saw it. The things that Inuyasha had forced him to see himself. The soft curve of Kagome's jaw, meeting to a soft, rounded chin. He touched his own, identical one idly. Her shaped ears, with the tiniest of points. His own ears popped. He had been blind. Blinded by his own fears and insecurities.

"It's shocking," Mr. Higurashi remarked. Kagome glanced at him. "How much you look like your mother."

Kagome was silent, her lips pursing shut as she stared at Himeko. She loved her mom. People always told her how she looked like her mother. Kagome bit her lip, fretting silently. Mr. Higurashi watched her reaction.

"Dad…" Kagome said quietly, stilling her bouncing of baby Himeko. The little girl released a tiny cry of protest but Kagome ignored her. Instead, she turned her blue eyes towards the wall opposite her, staring straight forward.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, surprised by her reaction.

"I want you to know that… even though I look like her… I am not Mom." She didn't say anything more and she didn't turn to face him. Mr. Higurashi was shocked. "I am my own person."

"I understand," he said, smiling sadly. "All this time, I've been comparing you to her. Like a ghost. You're her ghost. But you are not her."

Kagome sighed. A bitter smile weaved across her lips. "Yes. I am her ghost. That is why you hate me."

His mouth went dry, as if someone had stuffed cotton balls into his mouth. He swallowed thickly feeling the weight of Kagome's truthful words. He loved his daughter. Yet, at the same time, he resented her.

He resented her for looking like the woman he'd married when he was too young. He resented her for looking and talking like his dead wife did. Why did Kagome have to be the ghost engraved in his mind? Why did Kagome have to look like her?

"Kagome," he said at last. Kagome didn't look up from where she busied herself with the baby. Himeko cooed and chirped happily. "I want you to know that I've made many, many mistakes in my life."

Kagome tensed.

"But know that you are not one of them. You never will be." Where had these words come from? He surprised himself. "Know that I love you. You are my daughter. You always will be."

Kagome sniffled and raised her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I know, Dad."

* * *

"Rin!" he called out, searching for the little girl. She was always so evasive. "Rin, where are you?"

He'd been searching for her for what felt like hours. He knew she was in the house. But he was starting to get worried. There was no sign of the little girl and he was growing uneasy. Rin had a habit of disappearing when really he needed her around. It was almost impossible to keep an eye on the little girl.

"Rin, damn it, where are you?" he called out, searching for his little cousin. He rolled his eyes heavenwards as he heard the tiny shuffle of feet. So she _was_ in the house after all. But why was she hiding?

He followed the sounds of her footsteps and opened the door to his room. He'd already searched the messy room and hadn't found her. But he heard small shuffles and shifting of a body and the various mountains of _stuff_ in his room as they toppled over with her movement.

"Rin," he huffed, entering his room. "Where are you, you foolish girl?"

He heard something that sounded like a muffled cry. His frown deepened.

"Rin, where are you?" he asked, leafing through the large piles of debris in his room. He heard a snuffle and found the small noise coming from underneath his bed. He knelt and leaned over, looking under his bed frame and finding Rin nestled in the small corner of his room, hidden under his bed.

He stared at her, unsure what to make of this situation. It took him a moment to realize that Rin was crying. Tears spilled from her wide brown eyes and splashed on a small book before her.

"What's the matter?" he whispered, shoving his way under the bed. He was too big and his back scraped against the underside of his bed. He reached out his hand for Rin and she hesitantly recuperated the action, her small fingers breezing over Inuyasha's rough, calloused hand.

"There are no pictures of Mama," Rin whimpered as Inuyasha pulled Rin out from under the bed.

"What?" he asked.

She waved the book in her hand and Inuyasha recognized it as the forgotten photo album that hid under his bed. He hadn't looked at it in ages. It had pictures of his former self—his younger, innocent self. It had pictures of his grandfather. Of his old friends long faded away. But not his own parents. Those pictures were long since lost.

"There are no pictures of Mama!" Rin cried out. "I want to see Mama!"

"Aunt Mari will always be in your memories, Rin," Inuyasha offered hesitantly.

Rin shook her head violently, shoving his proffered suggestion back towards him. "No! She won't! I can't remember what Mama looks like! I can't remember Mama's face!"

Rin cried out weakly as she crumbled against Inuyasha, clenching the material of his shirt as she tried to dig out a memory of her deceased mother. Nothing came to mind. Everything was a blur. Everything was blank. It was all… so empty.

Instead of feeling sympathy for the crying girl, like he should have, Inuyasha felt something creep into his heart. Something he'd always felt. Yet, feeling it now, it almost seemed foreign. Rage.

The girl crying before him was the mirror image of his own days when his parents left him forever. He could recall with bitter clarity the feeling of abandonment and loneliness. He could recall sadly the day he realized that his mother and father's faces had faded away from his mind's eye.

Yet he hadn't cried. He hadn't cried like this.

And he'd been alone. Completely and undeniably alone.

Rin had him. Rin wasn't alone. Rin was with him, Inuyasha. Rin was with Inuyasha and being taken care of! How _dare_ she be sad when she could cushion her tears against his stomach?

"Stop crying," he commanded, shocked at the coldness in his own voice.

Rin didn't listen. She'd learned to ignore his heavy, cold tones as his own u-turning emotions.

"Stop," he repeated and something in his voice must have sparked something in Rin because she tipped her head back up, staring at him in shock, tears spilling from her dark brown eyes.

Her bottom lip quivered. "But Mama is…"

"Your mother is dead, get over it!" Inuyasha blasted out before he could stop himself. By then, it was too late.

Rin gasped and recoiled away from her caretaker, her tiny grasp skirting away from his shirt. Inuyasha felt a sudden coldness overflow him and he felt emptier than he'd ever had before. But he couldn't stop. He was too far gone.

"Why can't you just learn to accept that she's gone? That she's never coming back? Huh? Why is that so hard to grasp?" Inuyasha wasn't sure if he was talking to her or himself…

Rin sobbed louder.

"Stop it! Be happy! Accept it! _Accept it!_ I've accepted it! You should, too! Accept it! Accept it! Accept it! Accept it!" He kept repeating those two words, each time cutting into his soul inch by agonizing inch.

Rin's face was enough to kill him. She looked like she'd been betrayed. She had been. She'd been betrayed by the one person who could give her comfort now. She was truly alone now. Just like he was.

Why wasn't he happy about that?

"I take care of you," he said weakly. "Why aren't I good enough?"

Rin's body trembled as she sobbed uncontrollably. He reached for her and she shoved his hands away.

"No!" she screamed out, her voice cracking as she failed to wipe her tears away.

"Rin," he whispered, realizing his mistake. He reached for her again but she slapped him away.

"No!" she repeated, tears in her eyes. "Leave me alone!"

She raced away from him.

Gone were his fantasies of happiness. They rushed out the door with her. He watched her go. Then his fury seized him again and he flared up.

"Fine! You fucking little bitch! I don't want you anyway! I never wanted you! I'll never want you! You're just an annoyance! You're just a burden!" His throat felt raw from all the screaming. His entire body quivered under the weight of his words. "Just leave me the fuck alone!"

He slammed his door and he heard Rin slam one, too. He supposed she'd retreated to her room. He could hear her sobs.

He knelt on the floor, his forehead against the ground. He felt as if he were going to cry, but knew that only humans could cry. He was not human. How could a human treat a little girl like that?

His body shivered and he quietly called out Rin's name, wishing he could take back his words.

He wanted Rin to want him. He realized that now. Rin was everything to him now. She wasn't just a remembrance of times long gone. She was his now. She was the first to make him smile. She was the first to say she loved him for the first time after the accident.

He clenched his fists and banged them against the carpet.

"I'm an idiot!"

She'd reached out to him and he'd pushed her away, shattering her. That perfect, smiling little girl. He'd crushed her. Could it be fixed?

He stood and padded towards her room. He hesitated for only a second before opening the door. He took in the room sadly, staring at the open window, the perfectly made bed, the perfectly clean floor, the moon shinning in the sky, and the stars conspicuous only in their absence.

"Rin?" he whispered.

* * *

He yawned loudly and clicked off the television. He sighed dreamily as the darkness consumed his small apartment. Arching upwards, the only sound the creaks and groans that come with old age, the withered old man made his way towards his bedroom so that he could sleep for the night.

The phone rang, its ring sounding shrilly in the dark, lonely apartment. The man hunched his way to the phone and extended his withered old hand with a creak.

"Hello?" he murmured into the phone as he grasped it tenderly. "Shinkanshi residence."

"Grandpa!" his grandson's voice rang out, sounding desperate.

"What's the matter?" Inuyasha's grandfather said as he noted the intense tone of his grandson. The boy was nearly hysterical.

"Is Rin there?"

"What? No," the man was puzzled, "why should she be?"

"She's not here," Inuyasha said loudly, and there were thumps and curses as the boy continued searching for the little girl. "I've searched everywhere and she's nowhere!"

"Relax," the old man urged. "I'll be right over. Don't move."

On the other side of the phone line Inuyasha paced back and forth. It hadn't taken him long to realize that Rin had climbed out her window and crawled down the fire escape to get away from him. Great. Why had he said those things? He was an idiot! And now Rin wasn't in the house. He thought that maybe Rin had escaped to her grandfather's house, but he'd been wrong.

"Fuck, I should be looking for her!" Inuyasha told the lamp as he passed it for the fifth time. The lamp didn't respond—not that Inuyasha expected or wanted it to. "I should have kept her in my sights!"

He continued pacing, hoping he'd find some sign of Rin. Why wasn't his grandfather here yet? He should be out looking for Rin!

There came a knock at the door and Inuyasha launched himself into the foyer, wrenching the door open and staring at his grandfather.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Inuyasha announced loudly, eager to find the missing Rin.

"Hold your horses, boy," his grandfather stated calmly as he hobbled into the room. "Let me rest my bones. I practically ran here and you can't expect an old man like me to be chipper and ready to roll after something so strenuous."

"Then I'll go and you stay here!" Inuyasha barked.

"Steady," the man urged. "There is something very important we need to discuss before you go. I think I should have mentioned it sooner."

"What?" Inuyasha groused, eager to get going and find Rin.

"Let us sit," the man said with a wave as he gestured towards Inuyasha's own furniture. The man creaked as he leaned over and sat comfortably in his own seat.

Inuyasha snarled and paced.

"I need to talk to you, Inuyasha. It would be best if you were sitting," the old man urged. Inuyasha snarled again but relented, sitting down and folding his arms across his chest. "Now, why don't we start by you telling me what happened."

As Inuyasha relayed the fight between the two young grandchildren to the grandfather, the old, withered man listened patiently, nodding in all the right places and frowning in all the right places, too. Inuyasha finished and stared down at the coffee table that separated them, ashamed.

The old man sighed and contemplated the new information.

"Yes, I believe now is the time that I should tell you," the old man agreed with himself.

"Tell me what?" Inuyasha questioned. "Can't it wait? We need to go find Rin! You've rested enough, I'm sure."

"There is something that you should know, Inuyasha," his grandfather said sternly, staring down at his lap as Inuyasha sat in the chair opposite him. "Something very important."

"Yeah, what?" Inuyasha groused, wondering why they weren't out looking for Rin. That's what they should be doing. Instead, he was listening to his grandfather yammer on about something pointless.

The man mulled over his grandson's ignorance and impatience, weighing the thoughts in his head and debating where to start.

"It's about Rin's father," his grandfather said after a pregnant pause, deciding he should just dive into the issue.

Inuyasha looked at him expectantly. His grandfather sighed and rubbed his eyes, pressing his head into his hand. Inuyasha watched him curiously, wondering what kind of weight was heavily draped over the old man's shoulders.

"What about him?" Inuyasha prompted, wishing that he could get it over with. He needed to find Rin. Who knew where she was?

The old man sighed.

"Spit it out!" Inuyasha snapped, losing his patience.

His grandfather's next words silenced him sufficiently.

"He's still alive," the old man whispered.


	18. Chapter 18: Intertwined

**Daughters  
Chapter Eighteen: Intertwined **

* * *

"What did you say?" Inuyasha wheezed out after an excruciatingly long minute. He felt like he was going to get the worst headache in the history of headaches.

Inuyasha's grandfather sighed and repeated, "Rin's father is still alive."

"But…" Inuyasha trailed off, feeling lost and confused. He sat there stupidly for a moment, his mouth hanging openly slightly as he tried to process the shocking news he'd just received. He never would have imagined that Rin's father could still be alive.

"I must admit that I've been lying to you for quite some time," the old man murmured quietly as he clasped and unclasped his hands. He sighed and shook his head gently, as if trying to collect enough courage for what he wanted to say. "About Mari and Rin's father."

Inuyasha recalled memories of his aunt and uncle. Mari was always so devoted to the man and he could remember when he was still allowed to go and visit her. She was always doing things to please him, her eyes shinning whenever he smiled at her. It seemed as if she'd devoted her entire being to him.

He remembered the day that his grandfather told him he couldn't see Mari anymore. At the time, his grandfather told him that they didn't have the money to support Inuyasha. He remembered the pain in her eyes.

"But I know that Uncle is dead," Inuyasha said at last. "They had a funeral and everything."

He could recall with bitter detail the day Inuyasha learned that Mari's husband died; he'd gotten a heart attack. He remembered the look of intense pain in his grandfather's eyes as he processed the knowledge that his first born was dead.

"Yes, my oldest son is dead," the older man agreed, looking tired. The old man witnessed the deaths of two of his sons and his two daughter-in-laws. Of course he'd be tired at this point. The only ones he had left were a little girl and a rude young man. The grandfather continued, "But he wasn't Rin's father."

Inuyasha knew he had a headache now. How could the old man say it with such fluidity, as if the mere idea of Rin's paternity meant nothing?

"You're kidding me," Inuyasha gasped out.

"I wish I were," the old man admitted and shook his head. Inuyasha stared at him. His mouth flopping over again. His lavender eyes hazed over and he blinked wordlessly. "No. He was not Rin's father. And he knew it, too."

"Who's the father, then?" Inuyasha demanded, curiosity getting the better of him. He sat up a bit straighter, staring at the old man with intense eyes. He was unraveling a scandal in his very own family. Mari was unfaithful? Rin was the product of an affair?

The old man gave him a deep, foreboding look. Inuyasha racked his memories for any sign that Mari was unfaithful, searching for the tiniest of clues to another man's presence in her life. Everything was so fuzzy. He was young then. The last time he'd seen Mari he'd only been fourteen. That was five years ago. How could he remember something as asinine as an unfaithful aunt when he hadn't even been aware of it all those years ago?

"Inuyasha, you fool," his grandfather said at last. He looked so incredibly tired. "Don't you see? _You're_ Rin's father."

"What?" Inuyasha barked and launched out of his chair, getting to his feet immediately.

His eyes widened and he stammered over his words. His words failed him. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think.

'_This has to be a joke,_' he told himself silently and he even managed to force a tiny laugh at the mere idea. _'What is wrong with this man? There's no possible way!' _

"That's ridiculous! There's absolutely no way." Inuyasha shook his head and laughed. "What the hell is your problem, grandpa? Is this your idea of some sick joke? I need to go find Rin."

He made to walk towards the door, trying to pull on his coat as he walked. He had to find Rin. He had no time to listen to his senile grandfather talk about a twist worthy of a soap opera.

"Don't leave, Inuyasha," the man commanded in a voice Inuyasha nearly didn't recognize. He froze in his steps and turned around to see his grandfather stand up.

He looked taller than Inuyasha remembered. He looked stronger. He looked older. He looked wiser.

"Rin is your daughter," the man repeated. "Why would I lie to you about that?"

Inuyasha gaped at him and his amethyst colored eyes dulled as he thought. The mere idea of Rin being his daughter—let alone even having a daughter—was ridiculous. He shook his head wildly and tried to laugh off his grandfather's words.

"I don't believe you," he gasped out, feeling a sense of panic wrap around his heart and tug harshly. "I won't believe it."

"You must believe it," the man said loudly, his sharp voice cutting into Inuyasha. The boy took a hesitant step backwards. "Why would I _lie_ about this, boy? Why would I purposefully put you through such turmoil unless it was true? I am no liar, Inuyasha. I would not lie about this."

Inuyasha's disbelieving face melted away and his body slacked. He felt as if he should sit down. Instead, he simply slumped against the wall, staring at the floor blankly, his eyes never moving from one tiny spot on the floor beneath his feet. This couldn't be happening. Why was this happening?

"Rin is five. You are nineteen," the old man said while giving the boy a look. "That is a fourteen years difference."

"Fourteen," Inuyasha murmured, knowing exactly what that meant. He'd been fourteen when Rin was born. He shook his head again. "This is fucking insane. There is no way that Mari and I…"

He paled at the mere idea.

"Why do you think I wouldn't let her see you again?" the old man murmured. "Do you remember the Christmas before Rin's birth? You were actually thirteen then. You spent the entire night with Mari."

Inuyasha racked his brain. Usually he could remember holidays like that. When he was with Mari, he almost felt he was back again with his mother. Mari had always been very gentle with him and very loving. She'd taken care of him and loved him, just like his mother had. But he couldn't remember that Christmas.

"What does this mean?" Inuyasha murmured. Was he really starting to believe this? It was all surreal. He felt as if he were watching from the sidelines.

"You two were alone. I couldn't make it because I was sick. Mari's husband was on a business trip. It was just the two of you," the old man whispered. With each word that dripped from his mouth he seemed to age ten years. Inuyasha watched the withered old man, disbelief and resistance in his eyes. He would not accept Rin as his daughter.

"Stop now," Inuyasha commanded. "I don't want to hear this. You've got to be lying. I need to go and find Rin." He turned to walk out of his house, away from his grandfather and his sick lies. "She's probably crying by now."

The old man's withered, liver-spotted hand grasped Inuyasha's powerful arm, the frail fingers closing in around the wrist. "Please," he wheezed out, looking desperate. "Please listen. You must know these things."

"Can you even prove that this happened?"

"Mari admitted to it," the old man said. "When I came there to pick you up on Christmas morning, you were lying on the couch naked. At first I tried to think of some way around it. But… Mari was naked, too. She started crying hysterically. She was so incredibly ashamed of what she'd done. She admitted she'd gotten you drunk." He looked so tired. So sick. So empty and alone. Inuyasha hesitantly sat down next to the frail creature he called his grandfather. "She got you drunk. So drunk that even to this day you can't remember a single thing about that night, can you?"

Inuyasha looked as if he'd seen a ghost. He sat still, rigid, disbelieving. He tried to say something but no words came out. He swallowed. Why did this always happen to him? What did he do to deserve this all?

"It was on that day that I forbade Mari to ever see you again. She was family, though. Even if not by blood. But she… I couldn't… You didn't remember. I had no proof except for Mari's words." The old man shivered. "Her husband knew immediately that it wasn't his child. They hadn't been together like that for months. But it was too shameful to reveal the scandal. After Rin's birth, their marriage was ruined."

Before Inuyasha could stop him, the old man was hunched over and crying. Inuyasha stared at him in shock. He knew that his grandfather was a gentle and caring man, but never before had he seen the man break down and cry. His grandfather was strong, yet here he was.

"Hey, stop that," Inuyasha said weakly.

"I've failed you," the man wheezed. "I couldn't protect you from something as hideous and disgusting as Mari's actions." He shook all over, looking lost. "I promised myself that I would always protect you and I let that—that woman touch you like that!"

He swore to protect him…

Inuyasha stared, rooted to his spot, staring at his grandfather in disbelief. Why hadn't he realized how devoted his grandfather was to him? He'd walked through life convinced that he was alone and unloved. Yet… How could he not have noticed the people who were always right behind him?

"How were you to know that she would do that?" Inuyasha asked. Then he stopped himself before he could say more. There was no way this could truly have happened.

He couldn't remember anything about that night. There was no way that Mari, the sweet, lovely aunt he grew up loving could have done something so hideous, something so disgusting. Something that black could never give Mari that scar. Why would Mari do something like that?

"Besides, there's no proof that Rin is my daughter. It could have been one big misunderstanding," the young man said uneasily, not sure if he truly believed his words.

"You fool!" The older man blasted out, giving him a deep look that he'd never seen on his face before. "Are you blind? Are you that blind?"

Inuyasha paled.

"Are you so blind that you can't see what's right in front of you? Have you ever really looked at Rin?" the old man barked.

Inuyasha felt a strange sense of déjà vu. He'd had this same conversation with Mr. Higurashi. Only now the tables were turned and he was the one refusing to look into Rin's eyes and see what was right there before him. Inuyasha shook with his hatred. There was no way that he could accept this… this hideous, hideous lie.

"She is your daughter, Inuyasha," the old man whispered. "Why would I lie about that? Why would I come here to soil the name of a woman already dead? How could this possibly benefit me? Why would I want to come here and shatter the tentative foundation you've climbed yourself onto?"

"But I…"

"Why do you think you connected so quickly to Rin? Why do you think you two can live like this as if it were meant to be like this?" the old man growled. "Rin never knew Mari's husband. He died about a year after Rin's birth. You are the only father she's ever had—and she doesn't even know that you are her father."

The old man was enraged.

"Why can't you accept that she's yours?"

Inuyasha sat still, visibly shaken and knocked down a few pegs. How could he possibly take this information? It had to be a lie! A lie! It had to be! Why would Mari do this? She wouldn't! Would she? No!

"I… I have to go and find Rin now," Inuyasha whispered and ran to the door before the frail old man could stop him.

"She's your daughter," the man's voice trailed after Inuyasha and danced in his head even long after he'd slammed the door shut and run down the flights of stairs leading down to the ground level.

He turned the corner and dashed down the sidewalk. He knew where to go first—Mari's old house. That was the one place that Rin wished she could return to, especially since Rin wanted to see her mother. He remembered his own thoughts of his mother. How he missed her.

How could he yell at Rin for wanting to see her mother again? Where had that anger come from? Had he grown so attached to Rin that he expected her to completely forget about her family and love only him?

It was true that the mere fact that he wasn't good enough for Rin sparked unwanted and confusing emotions within his soul. He wanted nothing more than for Rin to accept him and only him. He wanted her to never need anyone else but Inuyasha.

Why couldn't he, even now, wipe away Rin's sadness?

Why did she have to be sad? He didn't want her to turn out like him: alone and jaded.

He raced down the street and turned the corner, smashing into Kagome as she left her father's apartment. Just as he'd told her, she'd gone and talked to him. Though they seemed to be on the same grounds now, Kagome doubted she'd ever be truly welcomed back in that home. For some reason, she didn't mind as much anymore.

She did mind, however, Inuyasha smashing into her and making her teeter backwards. He grasped her as she started to fall and steadied her.

"Have you seen Rin?" he barked before Kagome could say a word.

"What?" Kagome asked, taken quite aback by Inuyasha's sudden arrival and question. "N-no. I haven't. Why, is something wrong? What happened? Where's Rin?"

"How the hell should I know where she is?" Inuyasha cried out.

Kagome looked mystified for just a moment before she touched his shoulder. "Inuyasha, calm down. Everything's going to be okay. What happened?"

"There's no time to explain!" Inuyasha snapped out.

Kagome seemed unfazed by his sporadic behavior. She gently touched his two shoulders, standing with him as he bounced from one foot to the other. Aside from Rin's obvious disappearance, something heavy seemed to be weighing him down.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said after a moment of irritated silence, "does Rin look like me?"

Kagome blinked in surprise and thought about it for a moment. "Well, you two have the same nose. And your eyes have similar shapes. And the ears. You both have adorable ears."

That seemed to embarrass her because she stopped talking. If there was anything else she felt was similar between the two she didn't volunteer it.

"Shit," Inuyasha whispered. Why was he blind? Did he look like Rin? Was Rin really his daughter?

Regardless of whether they shared the same blood, he had to go and find Rin. Now. He gently pried Kagome's hands off his shoulders and gripped them. He stared at her, his lavender eyes swirling with his turmoil of emotions. Kagome stared at him in surprise, unsure what to make of Inuyasha's behavior.

"Kagome, I need you to go to my house and wait for Rin there in case she gets home. My grandfather may or may not be there. If he is, he'll explain everything to you." With that, Inuyasha took off a run, leaving Kagome behind. He glanced over his shoulder and shouted, "Call my cell phone if she comes home!"

Kagome watched him go, dazed and confused. She heeded his words, however, and turned on her heel, heading towards where Inuyasha's home was located. She weaved between pedestrians in her trek to Inuyasha's house, wondering what it was that was bothering him so. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

"You're truly a mystery," she told no one as she climbed the steps to his apartment.

* * *

Hours passed and there was still no sign of Rin. Inuyasha was growing more and more uneasy, wondering where it was Rin disappeared to. He'd checked Mari's house three times, all the parks, the kindergarten numerous times, and the grocery store, if, by chance, she was there. He constantly prayed for Rin to show up or for Kagome to call him on his cell phone. But he never found her and his phone remained silent.

"Shit!" he told a tree as he dug around the bushes below, searching for Rin. He straightened and looked along the park he'd checked for the third time. Where was Rin?

Maybe she'd gotten lost. Tokyo was a big city. It was possible she was nowhere she knew. Alone. Afraid. Dying.

"Ack," he told himself as he thought of the news reports when they found out that an irresponsible moron let his little daughter run out into the streets of Tokyo and die there, alone.

He kept searching.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn," he cursed as he ran along the sidewalk, ignoring the screaming of his feet and legs. Ignoring the pounding of his heart. Ignoring the wheeze that filtered through his mouth as he tried to breathe. He felt so tired. So incredibly tired. He wanted to sleep.

He couldn't sleep until he found Rin.

All around him happy couples played with their children. All around them people were smiling and laughing together. And here he was: the irresponsible moron who couldn't take care of Rin properly.

"What if she is dead?" he asked a flower as he got down on his knees and searched around the underside of some bushes. Maybe Rin was hiding from him because she hated him?

He didn't want to think about it and the repercussions of causing Rin's untimely death. If Rin died… that would be it. Rin was his everything. Rin was his life. Rin was his daughter.

He paused in that thought, his entire body shivering as if dumped in ice water. Did that mean he accepted the fact that Rin was his daughter? Now that he thought back to it, he always did get comments of how Rin looked almost exactly like him. It made him feel sick to his stomach. If Rin truly was his daughter, then what Mari did was inexcusable.

Now that he thought about it, having Rin as a daughter did explain his grandfather's behavior as of late. His die-hard refusal of Rin going to anyone other than himself. It wasn't because of his money, it was because, rightfully, Rin should be with him—regardless if his name was on the birth certificate or not (he figured it wouldn't be because of the legal discussions it would raise.) It also explained his grandfather's questionnaire. He'd always asked if Inuyasha was drinking alcohol to which Inuyasha always replied he had zero tolerance.

"Of course Grandpa would know that I have zero tolerance," he muttered to himself. "Mari proved that. I guess that explains why he never wanted me to drink after that…"

Though, strangely enough, the idea that he'd helped create someone as darling and beautiful as Rin was truly comforting. He froze yet again as that thought danced in his head.

He was proud of Rin. And, whether she was his daughter or not, he loved her.

A sense of pride overflowed him and he felt warm inside. He was proud of Rin. Rin was a wonderful person.

"That is if she's not dead," he muttered as he straightened and ran down the street towards Mari's house.

He searched all around, crawling on all fours in some spots and trying to find a trace of Rin and her beautifully sweet smile. But he found nothing.

He sighed and rested on the steps, knowing that if he didn't take a rest his lungs would explode in his chest and then he'd die along with Rin. Maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing. Maybe he deserved to die.

Inuyasha recalled sullenly the time when he'd felt that and his grandfather had stopped him. Stopped him from dying and robbing Rin of her father. But hadn't Rin already been robbed? Well, maybe it wasn't too late. She was five. She could learn to accept that he was her father. If he dared tell her.

How would—how could—Rin accept such a fact?

Inuyasha sighed and rubbed his forehead, feeling the pounding headache throbbing against all sides of his head. He felt tired. He felt sick. He felt alone.

"Rin," he muttered. "Where are you?"

He realized during the process of searching for the invisible Rin that she meant the world to him. Perhaps he always knew what she meant to him. But it wasn't until the mere idea of losing her coupled with the impact of knowing that Rin was actually his daughter and not his cousin… he needed her. Without her, he would fall back into that abyss he'd occupied for years—over a decade.

Rin was freeing him from that eleven-year-old pain. Kagome was freeing him from that eleven-year-old pain.

He'd gone years without a single smile from a girl. Now he had two in his life.

Inuyasha realized how blessed he truly was.

He tipped his head defiantly towards the sky, giving it one of his darkest stares. Rin was his moon. Kagome was his stars. They lit up his darkened sky. And he'd be damned if he let the moon set and the stars disappear.

"I'll do anything," he told the darkening sky. No stars. No moon. "I'll do anything just as long as she's safe."

* * *

Kagome paced back and forth, wringing her hands together. Inuyasha's grandfather was missing, but he'd been there when she'd come into the apartment. The old man explained the situation as best he could and then wobbled away, using a cane to navigate around the apartment and down the hall.

Now Kagome was on edge. And it was all Inuyasha's fault for causing her to worry so much. She hoped that Rin was okay. She hoped that Inuyasha was okay.

She paced irritably, wishing that something would happen. She prayed that he'd call or Rin would come home.

Kagome sat down and stood back up again. She padded into the kitchen then retreated to the living room. She poured herself a glass of water and then didn't feel thirsty. She picked up the phone and then returned it to the cradle.

"Should I call the police?" Kagome asked. "Tokyo is a big city. Inuyasha may not be able to find her in time. It's getting dark now. I should probably call."

She paced.

"Who am I talking to?" she asked, realization dawning in her features. She shook her head.

She sighed and set the phone back down, disconnecting the line. She ran her fingers though her hair, feeling her entire body on edge, as if sitting on the side of a cliff, waiting for the moment where she would fall. Her entire body was tensed with anticipation.

She started wringing her hands again. A pall wrapped around her like the embrace of a dead relative. Something was nagging her. She wanted to help but felt useless stuck in the home, like some domestic housewife waiting for her husband to come home. She excused the thought just as quickly as it entered her mind.

Kagome started pacing again, finding nothing else she could do to settle her battered nerves. This was the worst kind of anticipation. She had no idea where the two of them could be and the sky was dark outside.

She swallowed and opened the door peeking down the hallway to check to see if the two were coming up the stairs now. She heard nothing and, with a sigh, shut the door again.

"This is ridiculous!" Kagome declared. "I should be out looking, too! I'm perfectly useless stuck in this damned apartment."

Just as soon as the words left her mouth she heard a loud sob. Kagome froze wit her heart stopping. What was that?

She followed the sounds of sobs, her steps becoming more fevered as she progressed towards the noise. She knew without seeing the child that it was Rin. She followed the noise to Rin's room where there was an open window. She raced to it and nearly tripped over her own feet in her attempts to find the source of distress.

Kagome stuck her head out the window and saw Rin on the ground three stories below, crying. Despite two skinned knees that were bleeding steadily Rin appeared unharmed.

"Rin-Chan!" Kagome cried out, steadily climbing through the window and nearly falling off the fire escape in her haste to reach the little girl. Rin looked up, her wide brown eyes—the same shape as Inuyasha's—staring up at the girl as she progressed downwards.

"Kago-go-go-go-meeeee!" the little girl cried out, Kagome's own name sounding like a strange siren as it was shattered by a loud sob from the little girl.

Kagome reached the ground and knelt beside the little girl, grabbing her and wrapping her into the older girl's embrace. "Thank God you're okay! I was so worried! Where have you been?"

"I… I…" Rin kept crying. Kagome patted her back. "I didn't want to come home because I didn't think that Inuyasha would wa-a-ahhhh!" The little girl broke off into a heart-breaking sob and sniffled, rubbing her nose against Kagome's shoulder.

Kagome didn't seem to mind. She continued soothing Rin as best she could, running her hand along the back of her head and back, rubbing it gently and whispering the little girl's name.

"I," Rin hiccupped, "I didn't think that Inu-oniichan didn't want me anymore!"

She gripped Kagome tightly, continuing to cry.

"But then I ended up back here anyway and I was saaaaaad!" she trailed off into another sob and her back heaved as she tried to regain control of her breathing. "I want Inu-oniichan to love me, too. I want to live with Inu-oniichan!"

Kagome cooed quietly to Rin, rubbing her back and rocking her. She didn't care if they were sitting on the side of a street, cushioned between two buildings, she had to take care of Rin.

"Rin-Chan," Kagome soothed. "Inuyasha loves you, too. He didn't mean to get mad at you. He wanted to… Sometimes people lose their tempers and say things that they don't mean."

Rin stared up at her, tears brimming her eyes and spilling over like twin waterfalls. The brown depths wavered and the girl blinked a couple times, willing the tears to leave her brown orbs. She rubbed her eyes and ducked her head. Kagome smiled at the little girl's attempts.

She patted Rin's head. "Let's go inside. Inuyasha is running around looking for you. We need to call him so that he can come home."

Rin nodded meekly. "Okay."

Kagome grabbed Rin's hand and led her upstairs Rin's little house.

* * *

Inuyasha marched home, dejected. It was pitch dark and he knew that there was no hope of finding Rin anytime that night. It killed him inside to leave Rin all alone in the city. She was probably cold, alone, and afraid. He hated the mere thought. But he couldn't find her.

He'd have to call the police and they could begin searching for her. Or was he supposed to wait another day? Were there rules for missing children?

The young man hated thinking about such things and trooped on, refusing to linger on one thought for too long. He banished all thoughts of Rin being hurt or dead. He banished all thoughts of never finding her again.

"Things will be better tomorrow," he vowed. He'd find Rin and he'd never let her out of his sights again. He sighed as he passed under a tree and looked up at the streetlamp as it beamed down at him its strange, unearthly golden glow.

He paused under the spotlight produced by the streetlamp. He gazed up at it, watching as moths weaved around the unnatural light. The city climbed upwards towards the sky around him. He felt hollow. He felt alone.

Why couldn't he protect Rin the way he should?

The moth danced across the light, casting a tiny shadow at his feet.

His amethyst eyes lowered and he sighed deeply, stuffing his hands into his pockets. How could he explain to Kagome that he'd lost Rin? How could he explain to Kagome how he'd managed to push her out of his life? How could he explain to Kagome the shame of his family and the darkness that danced in the section of his memories he couldn't even remember?

He moved out from under the light, feeling blinded and lost. This was all his fault. Everything had been going so well and he'd taken a painful step backwards and it'd launched into something as ridiculous as this.

Why was he such an idiot?

If he'd pushed aside his anger and disappointment in the idea of Rin actually missing his mother—which was a perfectly understandable idea—then this never would have happened. Why was he so jealous over a woman who'd rightfully loved Rin and raised her? He'd had no part in Rin's five years and only now, suddenly, could he even begin to consider being a father.

"I'm a shitty father," he told his feet as he walked and kicked a pebble for good measure. He was a crappy person, on top of that. Why were people like him allowed to live anyways?

He scrunched up his face, feeling as if he were carrying a dead weight on his back.

"I'm sorry, Rin," he told his feet again. His feet didn't respond. He wouldn't want them to even if they could. He didn't feel like having a profound conversation with anyone or anything—especially his shoes.

"Inu-oniichan!" a voice called out.

Great, maybe a conversation with shoes would be better than having hallucinations. Inuyasha sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead, willing his pulsing headache away. Maybe his shoes wouldn't sound like Rin's melodious voice?

"Inu-oniichan!" a voice repeated. Suddenly, it hit him.

Inuyasha whipped his head up to see himself on a familiar street with a familiar person running towards him followed closely by another, older familiar person. "Inu-oniichan!"

"Rin!" he shouted, realizing that the little girl was running towards him, disregarding the lights on the crosswalk as she crossed the block in order to reach him. Kagome quickly launched into a trot to catch up to the two, smiling widely at the look on Inuyasha's face.

For once, Inuyasha didn't care what other people thought. Rin was okay! Rin was okay! He started running to meet her, but he didn't have to go far. Rin was right there! Rin was okay!

He watched, shocked, as Rin met him and launched into his arms, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. He barely had time to register the girl's flight plan before he fell to his knees and held her tightly, holding her as if he were afraid to let her go and let her disappear from his life.

He gripped her tightly and the little girl did a strange mixture between laughter and sobbing. He held her tightly and rocked her, trying to solidify that this was truly Rin and not some terrible, horrible dream.

"She came home about an hour ago," Kagome explained as she reached the two. Her blue eyes were wavering. "But your phone was dead and I couldn't reach you."

The only indication that Inuyasha heard her was the nod of his head. He gripped Rin tightly and didn't say anything—he listened to Rin's sobs and laughter. He listened to Rin gush about how sorry she was. He listened to Kagome's reassurances to Rin that Inuyasha was only shocked, not angry. He listened and said nothing.

Everything was okay. He knew everything would be okay. The two most important people in his life were here with him. Everything was perfect. Nothing could possibly ruin this. Nothing.

"What a glorious way to end this summer vacation, huh?" Kagome said warmly, watching the two, happy to see the odd family reunited once again. Inuyasha stared at her in shock.

"What?"

Kagome gave him a dry look and then laughed. "Don't tell me that you actually forgot that the second term is starting tomorrow?"

"What?" Inuyasha repeated, louder this time, demonstrating that he had, indeed, forgotten all about school.

Rin laughed and tightened her hold on Inuyasha. She smiled brightly at the two teenagers before her. Kagome's eyes softened and she gently touched Rin's head. Inuyasha snorted, trying to save face to his obviously childish reaction to the knowledge of school starting up again.

So, everything was going back to normal. Everything was ending in such a flash.

He looked at Rin and the little girl stared at him, her brown eyes glowing. And that's when he saw it. It was almost unnoticeable. Right near her pupil, teasing the edges of brown, was the tiniest rings of lavender. The lavender part of the iris was nearly hidden by Rin's pupils. So that was it, then. Lavender eyes came from his mother's side of the family. There was no way Mari or her husband could have lavender eyes.

He stared at Rin. Truly, he had been blind. Just as Mr. Higurashi had. Rin looked almost exactly like Mari but he could see it. They had the same type of hair, he remarked to himself as he felt the silkiness of her hair. And as Kagome said, their ears, noses, and eye shape were almost exactly alike.

So that was that, then.

He couldn't avoid it any longer.

Rin was his daughter.

Now that Rin was in his arms, everything felt like it would go back to normal. Everything was returning to the way it had been.

Yet, everything had changed. There was a difference between the three of them. Something had changed and Inuyasha wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. He looked at Kagome and their eyes locked.

Kagome smiled warmly, and she looked so incredibly beautiful that Inuyasha nearly tipped over. Her blue eyes watched the interaction between the two and she smiled warmly, her pink cheeks dimpling.

"I'll go and make a late dinner, if you'd like?" Kagome questioned. Inuyasha gave her the barest of nods, staring at her as if only seeing her for the first time. Kagome smiled and excused herself, letting father and daughter have a moment alone.

Everything was as it should be.

* * *

Months passed, as they often did. That was the way time worked. It stopped for no man. The second term flew by, as it was opt to do and students hustled around. With the onset of the cultural festival and the pending approach of graduation, the third year students were on the edge of their seats for days on end.

The day of graduation dawned bright and sunny. As he walked down the hallway, Inuyasha was hit with a sense of nostalgia. He'd hated high school with a passion, mostly because he spent the better half of it by himself. Yet, here he was.

He frowned as he took his assigned seat. Cushioned between Shiho Hiko and Shinimoto Kagura, Shinkanshi Inuyasha felt extremely uncomfortable, mostly because he didn't know the two girls and also because he was nowhere near where Rin sat with his grandfather in the back of the gym. Some ways up he could just make out Higurashi Kagome and a ways before her Endo Miroku. Myou Sango sat almost right in front of him by a couple rows but he still didn't know her too well despite Kagome's attempts to get them to hang out.

After everyone was seated the principle got on the stand and made his speech. "Students, parents, and honored guests… it is my pleasure to introduce to you this year's graduating class. Graduation marks a new day in…"

Inuyasha tuned out the principles announcement and instead gazed at the backs of the heads of all his fellow classmates, some of whom he'd never even spoken to. They all seemed to be dazing off, too, recalling distant memories of their high school years. After this, he'd probably never see the majority of them again. It was a strange feeling, but he didn't think it was a sad feeling.

He sighed and noticed Hiko glance at him. She'd been one of the girls in his class to obsess over him for the better part of the year. He blamed Rin for that. He'd grown used to it, however, and learned to simply tune them out or hand them over to Miroku, who was all too happy to oblige—provided Sango wasn't nearby to notice his playboy charms.

Quickly he realized that the students' names were being called and the principle had finished his monotonous speech. He watched as Miroku got his diploma and winked at the school representative, who pointedly ignored him. Students filed past, their names called, and their diplomas received, and Inuyasha still felt as if he were walking through a dream.

What was school to him? Was it anything, really?

Even when he got his diploma things seemed to be wavering like a dreamscape. He'd be happy to leave. He was starting to feel queasy.

He glanced at Kagome as he passed and she was smiling at him, a diploma grasped in her hands and tears in her eyes. Well, Kagome was certainly tearing up, as were the majority of female students, but that was life for you.

After all the diplomas were passed out, the students were instructed to sing the school song, to which only half did so. Then special awards were handed out and Miroku was overly enthusiastic when Sango received the highest culminating grade point average certificate.

This was his life.

Would it be different once he left these walls?

* * *

He relayed the question to Kagome as they walked home, Rin grasping his free hand. He looked at Kagome and the girl seemed to be thinking.

"I think everyday is different," she finally said, twirling her skirt around her legs and tapping Rin on the head with her diploma. "That's just the way things are. Are you going to a university?"

The sudden question surprised Inuyasha and he thought about it. "I never took entrance exams, so no. I'll have to take care of Rin. She'll be going into grade school next term, right?"

He looked down at Rin and the little girl nodded happily. "I'll be in the first grade!"

"Did you make any of the entrance exams requirements?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes!" the newly graduated schoolgirl beamed, looking extremely pleased with herself. "I got accepted to Tokyo U! I'll be going with Sango, too."

Inuyasha stared at her in shock. "I hadn't realized you were that smart."

"Jeez, Inuyasha," Kagome said with a tiny frown. He could see amusement in her eyes.

"What? Like I'm going to notice unimportant stuff like that," Inuyasha protested.

"Now that's rude," Kagome said stubbornly, giving him a deep look and crossing her arms. "I'm smart, you know. Who helped you with your English homework this entire second semester?"

At first Inuyasha thought that maybe Kagome was angry with him, but then he saw the tiniest shadows of a smile and knew that she was only joking with him.

Inuyasha didn't respond because he didn't feel like giving Kagome the pleasure of receiving such an answer from him. Kagome made a small 'har-umpth' sound and marched on ahead with Rin, who skipped along beside her and released Inuyasha's hand.

He watched them go and sighed. They reached the apartment building and the boy knew that he had to speak to Kagome. He'd put it off for weeks now. Every time he tried to talk to Kagome he'd lose his nerve or something would come up. But he had to do it now. He just had to.

"Rin, go on upstairs, I need to talk to Kagome for a second," he commanded. Both girls paused for just a moment before one continued on up the stairs and the other gave him a disbelieving look.

Kagome looked at him expectantly and Inuyasha frowned, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his slacks—the last time he'd probably wear this ridiculous uniform.

Kagome tilted her head to the side. "You wanted something?"

"Eh… yeah," Inuyasha muttered, unsure where to start. "Kagome… I…"

Kagome clasped her hands in front of her and dipped her head down. Inuyasha licked her dry lips and swallowed the lump in his throat. Even though he was graduated Kagome always managed to make him feel like a flipping schoolboy.

Kagome toed the ground and he could see her stiffen with each second of silence that passed by.

"I like you," Kagome said suddenly and Inuyasha blinked in surprise. "I've always liked you. I know you probably already know… but I figure I should tell you, anyway."

Well, he hadn't been expecting that. He'd been the one to pull her aside, anyway. He stared at her and saw the red creeping up her neck and touching the tips of her ears. Black hair spilled over her shoulder and she refused to meet his gaze.

"That's… I've wanted to say that for a long time," Kagome said at last.

"You…" Inuyasha trailed off. "You're so stupid."

Kagome visibly flinched.

"Why would anyone like me?" he questioned quietly. Kagome's shoulders slacked a bit but she refused to look at him. Hesitantly, feeling like an unsure middle school boy, Inuyasha grasped her hand and pulled her a couple steps towards him. Kagome's other hand came up and touched his chest, blocking her descent into him. She cleared her throat and her entire face burned brighter than a fire truck.

"There are plenty of reasons to like you, Inuyasha," she said at last, staring at his chest as she said this and never looking up into his face, afraid of what she might see there.

So this is what it'd come down to? He'd known that she'd liked him for months, after all, long before graduation, long before the incident with Rin, just after summer vacation started. Or, perhaps, he'd known that she'd liked him even before then.

His hand came up and he touched her cheek again, just as he had when he'd first visited her in her fatherly financed apartment. His fingers danced under her chin and tipped her face up. Kagome's blue eyes stared at him, wavering with her emotions.

"Whatever you have to say, say it, please," Kagome murmured, fear tickling the corners of her irises. Inuyasha released a long breath of air he hadn't known he'd been holding.

Hesitantly, he leaned forward and their foreheads crashed into one another with a tiny thump. Kagome giggled nervously and Inuyasha offered her an embarrassed smile. So that was that, then.

"I, uh, like you, too," he said uncertainly and Kagome almost burst out laughing at his hesitant facial expression. Instead, she released a tiny hiccup that could have been a happy sob, but neither were very sure because they were kissing and that's all that really mattered.

Neither had truly kissed before, and the kiss they shared mainly involved teeth clinking together and noses bumping into one another, but neither seemed to truly care all that much; it was the best kiss they'd ever had.

Inuyasha felt as if a huge weight had lifted from his shoulders. He felt lighter than air. Lighter than anything. He held Kagome tightly, as if she were his anchor.

They pulled apart hesitantly only for both to offer hesitant, shy smiles and descend upon their lips again, collecting a small sigh from each.

"Inu-oniichan!" Rin whined and Inuyasha pulled quickly away from Kagome, smashing into the wall in the process. He cursed loudly as his head slammed uncomfortably against the solid wall. Kagome stared at him in shock, her entire body stilled by his bold action.

"W-what, Rin?" Inuyasha croaked as he touched the spot on his forehead where he'd smashed painfully into the wall.

"The door was locked," Rin said, realizing she'd intruded on something. Both of the new graduates were blushing brightly. She laughed and reached up her hands to her father. Inuyasha sighed and gave Kagome an apologetic look before scooping her up.

"Fine," he groused, unhappy with being interrupted. "Let's get the hell out of the front hall and go unlock the flipping door, shall we?"

Kagome laughed nervously as she followed after the father and daughter, her blue eyes sparkling with a new emotion, hidden beneath the many layers of embarrassment and nervousness.

This was his life. And even if he'd graduated high school, he was still very much the same. Things changed slowly, he realized idly as he unlocked the door for Rin and the little girl skipped inside happily. This was his life.

Yet, he wouldn't change it for the world.

He paused before crossing the threshold of his home and turned to Kagome. The said girl smiled at him and he smiled back, opening up his hand and offering it to her. She happily took a step forward and wrapped her fingers around it.

"Congratulations on getting into Tokyo U, by the way," Inuyasha said suddenly as if the thought had just hit him. Kagome laughed and nodded her head.

"Congratulations on graduating," Kagome offered hesitantly. Her smile widened.

Outside the bright blue sky harbored snow white clouds that lolled sleepily with the wind. Hanging low on the horizon the crescent moon conspicuously danced between the wind-blown clouds.

He looked out the window and watched the way the clouds danced along the sky. This was his life. And he loved it this way.

Kagome refused to release his hand and Rin refused to release his attentions. He had a feeling things were going to be like this for a long while, but it offered him some comfort to know he wasn't alone anymore.

Together, he had a feeling Kagome and Rin could melt his cold heart. That idea alone was enough to make him feel incredibly happy.

Tonight, he decided, it wouldn't matter if there were stars or not, he would be happy regardless.

* * *

_Author's notes: _And that, my friends, is the last chapter of Daughters. 


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